Tales of a Broken Family
by BubblyShell22
Summary: After Tony Salini stopped visiting them, things fell apart for the Turtles. They were no longer a team, and now they had to deal with the consequences of that change.
1. Chapter 1

Tales of a Broken Family

Chapter 1: Falling Apart

A/N: So here's yet another bunny that popped into my head despite trying to bat the bunny away from me. This is the third story in my Tales universe and will go into detail about what happened to the Turtles during Tony's absence. I hope that you'll enjoy this story just as much as my other ones. I'm going to have a lot of fun with this one.

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon. I only own the plot and nothing more.

Summary: After Tony Salini stopped visiting them, things fell apart for the Turtles. They were no longer a team, and now they had to deal with the consequences of that change.

Things changed after Tony left. Everything had been great for all of us. We were hanging out as much as we could and Tony was training to be a ninja like we were. Things were going great until Tony's uncle died of a heart attack. He had had a heart attack before, but it had been mild at best. This time, it wasn't mild, and he ended up passing away. Tony was devastated of course because his uncle was the one who had taken care of him after his dad was killed by Purple Dragons. We were so sad for him, too, and we lent our support the best way we could. He was grateful for that, but then things changed when he came to the Lair shortly after his uncle's funeral. It was supposed to be a memorial for all of us. Mikey had made the food and we were all ready to lend our support to our friend.

Tony came to the Lair still dressed in his best suit. Gia wasn't with him because she was still taking her father's death hard, so she had gone back to the apartment to mourn.

"Hey, Tony," I greeted him. "I'm really sorry about your uncle." I embraced him, and my brothers followed suit.

"Thanks, guys," he answered. "I really appreciate it."

"So, are we ready to eat?" Mikey asked.

"I'm not staying," Tony said.

Mikey was confused. "But we made all of this food for you. What are we supposed to do with it?"

"I'm sure you can think of something," Tony replied.

"Tony, what's up?" I asked. I could tell that something was wrong, but I couldn't pinpoint what it was.

"Well, now that Uncle Gino's gone, someone has to take over the shop," he began. "I'm the only other Salini left, so I have to take care of it."

"Hey, that's cool," Mikey said. "I bet you'll have fun running a pizza place."

"It's not supposed to be fun, Mikey," he said. "It's a lot of work, and that's why I came down here. I can't hang out with you guys anymore."

Mikey's blue eyes widened. "You mean you're leaving us?" he whispered.

"Yeah, I am, Mikey. I have to."

"You don't have to do nothin'!" Raph said. "Didn't he have other guys to help out?"

"Yeah, but he enlisted me as the owner of Antonio's now," said Tony. "I can't shirk my duty."

"But you don't have to leave us," Mikey protested. "You could still visit us, right?"

Tony shook his head. "No, I can't, Mikey. Being the owner comes with a lot of responsibilities. I have to stay at the shop while it's open, and by the time it closes, I'll probably be too tired to come down and see you guys."

"But there's always the weekend," Donnie said.

"No, I can't come even then. Business has been slow, so we're staying open even longer on weekends to see if we can bring in customers. I'm really sorry, guys, but this is the way it has to be."

"We understand, Tony," I said softly. "Your hands are tied right now, and there's nothing you can do about it."

"Since when do you speak for all of us, Leo?" Raph spat. "You may understand this, but I don't! How could you leave us like this, Tony? I thought you were our friend!"

"I am your friend, Raph," Tony replied. "Nothing will ever change that. But I have to do this for my family. It's what Dad and Uncle Gino would want for me to do."

"What about Gia? Can't she help out?"

"She's promised to try, but she's a dance instructor now, so she's pretty busy as it is. Look, I don't want to do this, but I have to. I promise that I'll visit if I get a day off."

Raph rolled his eyes. "Yeah, like that'll happen," he muttered.

"We are sorry to see you go, Tony, but you must do what is asked of you," Splinter interjected. "We will miss you. If you do get time to come down, you are welcome here."

"Thanks, Sensei," he said.

Raph leveled a glare at Tony. "I don't want him here," he spat. "If he's gonna leave us, he might as well stay away. You're dead to me, Tony. I don't wanna see you again!"

"Raph!" I shouted, but Raph didn't listen. He turned and stormed out of the Lair, making sure to bump into Tony on the way. "I'm so sorry, Tony. I had no idea he'd react like that."

"It's not your fault, Leo," he answered. "He's just being Raph. I'm sure he'll cool down and everything will be okay."

"Can't you at least stay to have some food?" Mikey begged.

He sighed. "I have to get to the shop to look over some things, but could you get me a takeout box?"

Mikey smiled. "Sure," he said. He went into the kitchen and came back with a box full of food. "This should keep you full for a few days," he joked.

"Thanks, Mikey," Tony said as he took the box.

Mikey threw his arms around Tony and gave him a hug, causing Tony to set the box down so the food wouldn't get crushed.

"I'm gonna miss you, T!" he sobbed.

"I'll miss you, too, Mikey," Tony replied. "Don't forget to text once in a while or call."

"I won't," he promised.

"So, Tony, does that mean you're dropping out of college?" Don asked him.

"Yeah, I have no choice," he answered. "It sucks because I really wanted to get a degree, but that's the way it goes."

"You could always get one online," Don assured him.

"Yeah, maybe," he said. "We'll see how things go." He embraced Donnie and embraced Splinter before coming to me. "Sorry this had to happen, Leo. If you don't want to talk to me anymore, I get it."

"I don't want that at all, Tony," I replied. "You're still family to us and always will be no matter what. Even if you just call, that's all that matters."

"Hey, don't forget about me," Karai said as she came out of her room.

"Sorry, Karai," Tony said. "I'll miss you, too."

"Yeah, I know," she said. She hugged Tony and patted his back before releasing him.

I embraced Tony last. "Take care, Tony," I whispered. "Remember your training and that you're still a warrior. You're still part of this clan no matter what Raph says. Never forget that."

"I won't, Leo," he promised. "Take care of Mikey for me, okay?"

"I will. Safe travels."

He smiled at all of us and bowed to us. We bowed back before he turned and left the Lair. Mikey ran to his room and closed the door. Splinter sighed and retreated to his own quarters.

"Do you want me to go after Raph?" Karai asked me.

I sighed. "No, I'll do it. I'm the leader. I have to keep everyone in line."

"Good luck, Leo," she said softly.

"Thanks."

22222

I found Raph sitting on one of the water towers, his legs dangling off of the edge. He didn't turn until I'd landed beside him.

"What do you want, Leo?" he demanded.

"I want you to come home," I answered.

"You're not my dad, Leo," he spat. "You can't tell me what to do."

"I'm the leader of this clan, and you have to follow my orders," I retorted. "How could you say that to Tony? You know this has been hard for him to deal with."

"He left us, Leo. He's a traitor to the clan."

"No, he's not. He's doing his duty. I would hope you would understand what that means."

He rolled his eyes. "Sorry, but I'm not a suck up like you, Leo, so I don't know what it means."

"Stop being a baby, Raph," I ordered him.

"Stop kissing Splinter's ass, Leo!" he countered.

"I don't kiss his ass, Raph! I do what's expected of me."

"Whatever. I don't need to listen to your lectures, Leo."

"Are you coming home?"

"When I'm good and ready," he replied.

"Fine," I said. "If that's the way you want to be. See you at home." I turned and left him stewing there. I knew I couldn't force him to come home, but his attitude bothered me. He was lashing out worse than he used to. He and I used to have a good relationship. Sure, we had our fights now and then, but we always made up quickly afterward with Raph apologizing for being mean or me apologizing for being too controlling. But there was none of that tonight. Tony's departure had changed Raph, and I was afraid that I couldn't bring him back from whatever dark mood he was in.

I came home and found Splinter waiting for me. "Your brother did not come back?" he asked me.

"He said he'd be back when he's good and ready," I answered. "I'm sorry, Sensei. I've failed you."

"You have not failed, my son," he reassured me. "Raphael is stubborn. He will come when he is ready to. Now go get some rest."

"I want to wait for him, Sensei," I said. "You should go to bed."

"Very well," he acquiesced. "But if he does not come home, you should go to bed."

"I will, Sensei," I promised.

I sat on the couch and waited for my brother to come home. He came home just before midnight and saw me sitting there. He gave me a curt nod before going to his room. I sighed and turned off the TV before retiring for the night. I was so heartbroken over all of this, but there was nothing I could do about it. Things were changing, and I just had to flow with that change no matter what it brought with it. With a sigh, I settled down under my covers and fell asleep.

22222

The night was cool as we leapt over the rooftops on our nightly patrol. Raph was still surly, and I could tell that it wasn't going to get any better. It continued as we looked down and spotted a familiar motorcycle cruising down the streets. The boy riding it wasn't the one we knew, but it still brought back memories of after we first met Tony. Raph scowled as he saw the boy with the familiar Antonio's uniform.

"Traitor," he muttered.

"Cut him some slack, Raph," I said. "He's very busy."

"Too busy to even give us the time of day," he said.

"He called me the other day," I reminded him.

"Yeah, he called you, not anybody else," he retorted.

"He was in a hurry, Raph," I said. "He still sent his regards to you."

"It's not the same, Leo, and you know it. He bailed on us. He doesn't deserve anything from us."

"He had no choice, Raph. He had to take over the family business."

Raph said nothing more, but I could tell he was still upset. I guess I couldn't blame him for that considering all that had happened. But he didn't have to be a jerk about things.

Mikey grabbed my arm. "Dude, check it out," he whispered.

I followed his gaze to where a group of Purple Dragons were strolling toward a jewelry store. "Looks like those guys are up to something," I mused.

"Then let's take 'em down," said Raph, twirling his sais.

"Hold on, Raph," I said. "Let's wait and see what they do."

"We know what they're gonna do. They're gonna rob the store, and I'm gonna stop them before it happens." With that, he jumped off of the rooftop and took off toward the gang members.

"Raph, wait!" I yelled then sighed. "Why does he always have to do this?"

"Beats me, but we better follow him," Mike replied.

The three of us followed Raph who was already engaged with the Dragons. We joined the fight to even the odds. I took down Tsoi fairly quickly but was met by another member I didn't know. Apparently, the Dragons were recruiting more people. Just as I took that member down, I spotted Sid sneaking up on Raph with a pipe in his hand.

"Raph, look out!" I yelled, but Raph was too busy with his own opponent that he didn't listen to me. I lunged at my brother and pushed him out of the way. He was clear of Sid's hit, but I wasn't. I felt the impact, and the last thing I heard was my brother calling my name before I was engulfed in darkness.

22222

I slowly opened my eyes as I heard voices around me. It took me a minute to adjust my vision, but once I did, I saw that my family was around me.

"Leo, you're awake!" Mikey cried excitedly as he gave me a hug.

"Ow! Easy, Mikey," I warned. "I'm still hurt, remember?"

"Sorry, dude," he apologized.

"Looks like you have a concussion, Leo," Don told me. "You probably won't be able to train for a while."

"Just what I needed," I said sourly.

"At least you are alive, my son," Splinter said. "We were very worried about you."

"Yeah, don't try that again, idiot," Raph said.

I glared at him. "I did that to save your shell," I reminded him.

"I could have taken him," he retorted.

"You were distracted and not paying attention," I explained. "If I hadn't stepped in, you would be the one in this bed right now."

"Oh, so this is MY fault now?" Raph demanded. "Why is it that when somethin' happens, you always have to place blame on someone? Why can't you just get it through your head that shit happens sometimes? It's nobody's fault except the guy wielding the pipe."

"If you had been paying attention, I wouldn't have had to intervene, Raph. A true ninja is always aware of his surroundings."

"So now I'm not a true ninja? What the hell is your problem, Leo? Why do you always have to have a stick up your ass?"

"I'm trying to be a good leader and protect my team!" I replied.

"Ah, so this is a martyr act now? Are we supposed to bow at your feet because you made some stupid sacrifice to protect your team? Just like you did with the Technodrome or when you nearly blew yourself up at TCRI? And who could forget when you led the Kraang away from us and got your ass handed to you by Shredder and his Foot goons? Was that an act of sacrifice too or just plain stupidity because you felt you had to prove yourself as a great leader?"

My eyes narrowed in anger at his tone and his words. "Don't you DARE blame me for that," I hissed. "I had no idea Shredder and the Foot were out there."

"Seems to me you could have sensed them there, Leo," Raph retorted. "After all, you're the true ninja, right?"

"Raphael, that is enough," Splinter chastised. "Your brother is right. You should have been aware of your surroundings."

"It's not my fault that guy snuck up on me. Why am I always the one bein' labeled the bad guy here?"

"Because you're too impulsive and reckless," I told him. "If you would have just waited, it wouldn't have happened, but you ran into that fight without thinking it through first."

"Sometimes action is better than just planning a stupid strategy. That's how I roll."

"And that's how you get into trouble, Raph. You have to learn to think more."

"Oh yeah? Well, YOU need to stop being a suck up to Sensei all of the time! YOU need to stop actin' like you're better than the rest of us. And YOU need to get off of my case!"

"Raphael! Go to my quarters now!" Splinter shouted.

Raph opened his mouth and then closed it. He turned and left the infirmary, muttering under his breath the whole way.

"I am sorry he said those things to you, my son," Splinter said gently. "Please do not take his words to heart, Leonardo. He really does care for you."

"Sometimes I don't think he does, Sensei," I said sadly.

He patted my shoulder. "I will talk to him and see what is wrong," he reassured me. "It will all work out in the end." He kissed my forehead and left to go to talk to my hotheaded brother.

"Dude, Raph was way out of line there," Mikey said. "You think Sensei's gonna punish him."

"Probably," I answered. "He needs it though."

"Well, now that you're awake, we'll just leave you alone for a while," said Donnie. "Holler if you need anything, okay?"

"Okay," I replied.

Mikey gave me a wave before leaving with Donnie and Karai who had been strangely quiet during Raph's tirade. I had no idea what that was about, but I wasn't about to dwell on it. Raph was definitely not himself, and I hated to think that Tony's absence had anything to do with it. There had to be more to it than that. Checking my phone, I saw that there were no texts from our friend, and I felt I needed to talk to someone. I dialed his number and waited for him to pick up. It rang and rang, but the voicemail clicked on instead.

"You've reached Tony Salini," the voicemail said. "I'm not able to return your call so please leave a message after the beep."

I waited for the tone and then said, "Tony, it's Leo. I really wanted to talk to you since I haven't heard from you in a while. A lot is going on here, and I don't know what to do about it. Please call me back. I really miss you."

I hung up and just stared at the walls since there was nothing else I could do at the moment. I kept trying to reason with myself that Raph was going through a phase. Why else would he suddenly lash out at me like that?

Mikey made dinner and I ate as much as I could. Don figured that I'd be able to get out of the infirmary tomorrow, and that made me feel better. Mikey played some card games with me to keep me company until it was time for them to go on patrol. I wished them luck and began reading a book Mikey had given me to pass the time. Splinter came and talked to me for a little bit until the guys came home. Patro had gone well, and that made me feel better even though I wished I had been with them. I said goodnight to all of them, and all but Raph wished me the same.

Tony never called me back, and that made me feel horrible. Had he really cast us off like that? No, I couldn't believe that. He was just busy. He would get back to me and everything would be okay. With that last thought in my head, I fell asleep.

22222

After training the next day (which I was only allowed to observe and not participate in), Sensei called Karai and me into his chambers. I was a bit confused as to why he was doing this to us.

"Leonardo, I have asked you here today because Miwa came to me to ask me something important," he began.

"Yes, Sensei?" I asked him.

"Miwa wishes to go to Japan to see where she was born," said Splinter. "It is something she has wanted for a long time, and I feel that now would be the best time to do this. However, she does not wish to go alone and wishes that you would accompany her to Japan."

"And why is that, Sensei? Karai is a fully skilled kunoichi. I'm sure she can take care of herself just fine on her own."

"That is true, but she does not know if the Foot in Japan will be looking for her and would like someone she trusts to accompany her. She asked if you would go, and that is why I have asked you here. Would you care to go to Japan with your sister?"

"I've always wanted to visit there again after we were sent back in time," I answered. "But I don't want to leave my brothers alone."

"Your brothers are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves, Leonardo. And with the tension between you and Raphael, I think it would be best if you were apart for a little while. Maybe being away from them will help you to find yourself, my son."

I considered his words. Yeah, there was a lot of tension between Raph and me, and I had a feeling it wasn't going to get better the longer we stayed together. Maybe being away from him WAS the answer. Maybe it would teach all of them a lesson in how they took me for granted sometimes. "I think it's a good idea, Sensei," I replied. "I accept."

"Good," Splinter said. "We will tell your brothers how it will be, and you will leave as soon as Donatello clears you to train again."

Telling my brothers didn't go well, which I expected. Each of them reacted in a different way.

"But, Leo, you can't leave us!" Mikey begged me.

"It won't be for long, Mikey," I assured him. "Just a couple of weeks at most. I'll be back before you know it."

"Are you sure you'll be able to do it?" Don asked. "You only just got injured after all."

"Sensei says as soon as you clear me, I'll be fit to go," I told him.

"Well, that seems reasonable," Don remarked.

Raph glared at me, anger in his eyes. "So now you're abandoning us, too, Fearless? You think you're too good for us now?"

"No, I don't, Raph," I said. "I'm just taking some time off so to speak. It'll only be for a few weeks and then Karai and I will be home."

"I figured that you would be pleased, Raphael," Splinter interjected. "You did tell me during our talk yesterday that you wished Leonardo would leave. Now you are getting what you wanted."

Shock filled my eyes and a gasp escaped my lips. "You said that, Raph? Is that really what you think of me?"

"No!" he protested. "I was just mad, Leo. You know how it is when I get mad. I say shit I don't mean."

"I think you DO mean it, Raph. You don't like how I want to protect you. This is your chance to get what you want. I'll be gone and you can do as you please. Maybe it'll help you to think a little more about just what I bring to the team."

"Whatever," he muttered. "Go have fun, Fearless. Enjoy your little vacation with your girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend and you know it," I stated.

"But you wish she could be. I know you do, so don't try to play innocent, Leo. You wish that she could sleep in your bed with you every night. You wish that you could kiss her and hold her like anyone else. And the fact that you can't do that pisses you off."

"Raph, that's enough," Karai interjected. "Leo and I aren't like that. You need to watch your mouth and be careful about who you're talking about."

Raph threw his arms up. "That's right! Defend him! It's always me, isn't it? I'm the bad guy here. I don't need this! Have a nice life!" And with that, he turned and stormed out of the Lair.

I sighed in frustration. Yeah, this was definitely going to be the best thing to do.

22222

Time flew by quicker than I thought it would, and before I knew it, it was time for Karai and me to go to Japan. I had been waiting for this day since Master Splinter first suggested it. I had all of my stuff packed and so did Karai. We came out of our rooms and got ready to leave. Everyone gathered around us to say goodbye, though Raph was standing a fair distance away.

"I'm gonna miss you, Leo," Mikey sobbed "Promise you'll write every day?"

"I'll write as much as I can, Mikey," I promised.

"Okay. And bring me something cool, too. And don't go having sex with any geishas."

I laughed. "Okay, I won't."

"Have a safe trip, Leo," Don said. "If you have any questions concerning medical aid, don't hesitate to call me."

"I think we'll be fine, Donnie," I said. "You taught me everything I need to know. Just take care of Mikey and make sure Raph doesn't get into too much trouble."

"I'll do my best, but I can't make any promises," Don replied.

I made my way over to Raph and held my arms out for a hug. He turned and fixed me with such an angry stare it was as if fire was in his eyes.

"Goodbye, Raph," I said. "Take care, okay? I'll be back soon. I love you."

Raph growled at me. "I hate you!" he spat. Then he turned and went to his room, slamming the door as loudly as he could.

Splinter came over and embraced me. "Please do not listen to his words, my son," he soothed. "You know he does not mean them. Have a safe trip. I love you, Leonardo."

"I love you, too, Master Splinter," I whispered. "Take care of him for me." Then I turned and left the Lair along with my sister.

We got on the boat with very little difficulty and stowed away where no one could see us. Karai smiled and squeezed my hand.

"Are you ready for this, Leo?" she asked me.

I thought about the home I was leaving behind and Raph's venomous words. I still couldn't believe he would feel that way after I was leaving him. But maybe it was for the best. I couldn't continue to worry about him anymore. I had my own life to live now.

"Yeah, I'm ready," I answered.

And so our journey began. But little did we know that what awaited us in Japan was anything but a nice vacation.

A/N: And that's the end of that chapter. Man, I didn't think it would be that long, but I do like making long chapters. So what do you think so far? I'm having fun with this universe, and I can't wait to bring you more of it. Next chapter will be Raph's perspective and we'll see what he's been up to and how he feels about Leo's absence. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: New Recruit

A/N: So here's the second chapter of this story. Now we'll get to see what Raph's been up to and how he's been coping with Leo's absence. Thanks to all of those who have read, reviewed, favorited and followed this story. It means a lot to me that you're enjoying it. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon. I only own the plot and nothing more.

I wasn't taking Leo's absence well at all. He abandoned us, and it seemed like everything was falling apart. Hell, things had been falling apart way before that between me and him. I don't know what his deal was, but he was ticking me off. It felt good not having him here, but I didn't buy that excuse that he was taking time off. I think he just wanted to get away from being leader for a while and wanted to see how we'd fare without him. Needless to say it wasn't going well at all.

We continued to patrol at night, but soon that happened less and less. Then came the day it all fell apart for us. It had been a month since Leo left, and though he often tried to call or text us, he hadn't for a while now. I didn't worry about it because I never answered his calls anyway, but Donnie and Mikey were constantly worried and thought maybe something had happened to him. Don tried to get him on the phone, but it wasn't in service.

"Maybe he doesn't get a signal out there," I said.

"He was calling us fine before," Don pointed out.

"Yeah, but maybe he's at a place where he can't get a signal," I said.

Don didn't listen and continued to worry. Wimp.

I sat in front of the TV and just watched a cool action movie. Mikey was looking at the paper which Mr. O'Neil had given us to read. He was the one who was giving us all of our groceries and shit because April was in college now. I felt bad for the guy, but he didn't seem to mind it even though I could tell it was stressing him out. Or maybe that was just work. Either way, it didn't make me feel good.

"Why are you lookin' at that paper, Mikey?" I asked him.

"I'm looking for a job, dude," he answered.

"A job?" I repeated. "Turtles don't get jobs."

"But I want to," he said. "Mr. O'Neil's paying for our groceries and it's not right. I sent some of my stories in to a magazine, but I got rejected. I think getting a job would be a good idea."

"Okay, but who's gonna hire a mutant turtle?" I asked him.

He shrugged. "Beats me, but it's worth a shot," he said. "I could always pretend I'm in costume or something."

"That's a great idea, Mikey," Don interjected as he came out of his lab. "I'm going to do a tech support job from home. April e-mailed me about the idea when I told her I wanted to help earn money for us since we were asking her dad to help out. I just feel guilty about it, and I think this would be a way to do this for ourselves."

"Why should we do that?" I asked. "We always take money off of drug dealers."

"Yeah, but that's not enough for a whole year," Don pointed out. "I'm going to do this job. It sounds like it'll be really neat."

"Hey, Donnie, do you think there's a job out there for me?" Mikey asked.

"Let's see," Don said. He scanned the paper and then pointed to something. "Ah, here's a lady looking for someone to come for her son's birthday party."

Mikey's eyes lit up. "Cool! When is it?"

"This Saturday," Don replied.

"Hey, maybe I can rig something up," he said. "And maybe we could trick out the Party Wagon to look like a party van."

"Good idea," Don said. "We'll have to get started on that if we want to get done by Saturday. And you'll have to have a different name."

"Yeah, I figured that," Mikey said. "How about Turtle Titan?"

"Too cheesy," I said.

"Yeah, that sounds more like a superhero than a guy who does birthday parties."

"Wait, what about Cowabunga Carl?" Don suggested.

"Dude, that was my second choice!" Mikey said excitedly.

"Great! I'll go look at the Party Wagon and see what needs to be done."

As soon as Don was gone, I turned to Mikey. "That wasn't your second choice, was it?"

"Nah," he said. "I was actually thinking of Booyakasha Bob, but that would be too big of a mouthful for the kids."

I sighed and shook my head. "I'm goin' out," I said. "I'll be back later."

I made my way out of the sewers and to a familiar warehouse. Ever since my troubles with Leo started, I'd been going to see Slash and the Mighty Mutanimals every chance I got. Slash had always been a pal of mine and someone I always confided in when he used to be my pet turtle. Now that he was a mutant himself, he could actually talk to me about my problems, so I tended to go to him when I was feeling down. I knocked on the door, and Slash opened it.

"Raphael, good to see you, brother," he said. He gestured for me to come in, and I did so.

"Good to see you, too, Slash," I replied.

"So, what's going on at home?"

"Leo left to go to Japan with Karai," I said. "Mikey and Donnie are thinkin' of gettin' jobs to help out with money. It's just pathetic."

"How long has Leo been gone?" asked Slash.

"A month," I answered. "He used to call and text us all of the time, but they've stopped comin' to us. Donnie's worried about it, but I just think maybe he doesn't wanna talk to us anymore."

"What did he say when he called?"

"I don't know 'cause I never answered his calls or his texts. I never even looked at 'em."

"Why not?"

"Because I was still pissed at him, that's why! He kept bossin' me around and actin' like he knew everything. So after he left, I just ignored him."

"I'm sure he didn't like that, Raph. What if he's in trouble and was asking for help?"

"If it was that bad, Donnie would have said somethin' since he was callin' him and Mikey, too."

"Yeah, but now he's not calling you guys. He could be in trouble."

"And what do you want us to do, Slash? We don't even know where he is in Japan, so how could we find him?"

"Maybe Rockwell could help," Slash suggested. "He's good with the psychic stuff."

"Sensei's been tryin' to reach him on the astral plane, but he hasn't had any luck. He's usually pretty good with that stuff, too."

"Then maybe something's wrong."

"Look, I just came here to hang out, not to talk about the whereabouts of the mighty Leonardo."

"Fair enough," Slash said.

"So, what's goin' on with you guys?"

"Not much. Just stoppin' crime when we see it happenin'. Jack got an award for his research on the Kraang the other day."

"That's great," I said. "So, are you lookin' for a new member?"

"Well, we haven't really thought about it. And why would you join us? You've got your brothers to think about."

"But they don't think about it either," I told him. "They've got their hearts set on their jobs, and I have a feelin' patrolling's gonna be the least of their worries once they start them."

"You're always welcome in the group, Raph, but maybe you should wait and see what happens with your brothers first. I don't want to be responsible for a family war. I don't think Leo would appreciate that."

"Leo's gone, Slash. He's not gonna care if I join your team or not. If he was that worried about it, he wouldn't have left."

"I know, but I don't want him to come back and think that I was responsible for you walking out on the team."

I glared at him. "Since when do you care what Leo thinks of you?"

"Since we've been on good terms," Slash answered. "I don't want him to hate me again and turn on my team just because you made a rash decision. Just think about it and see what happens with Donnie and Mikey. If they don't patrol anymore, then you can join us until they want to get back into it."

"And what if they don't want to patrol anymore?" I asked him.

"Then you can join our group permanently."

I sighed. I wasn't happy about what he was saying, but he had a point. I didn't want to just join them without talking to my brothers first. And as much as I hated Leo at that moment, I knew Slash was right about that, too. Leo was so petty and jealous, he would turn on Slash if he found out Slash was responsible for me abandoning the clan.

"Okay, I'll wait and see what happens," I said. "But if Donnie and Mikey don't wanna patrol again, then I'm gonna be on your team."

"Sounds good to me," he said. "You wanna come inside and watch wrestling?"

I grinned. "Hell yeah."

22222

After that, things changed. Mikey used the party van and has his own hotline installed so that people could call him for parties. He seemed to enjoy it for the most part, though there were times when it got to be too much and he was tired. I was sure Sensei wouldn't be happy about this turn of events, but when I asked him about it, all he said was, "It is good that your brothers are trying to help the family. I see no harm in this as long as Michelangelo is careful."

Don started his tech job and seemed to be having a good time with that, too. The thing that bugged me was that he kept later hours than normal because he wanted to make more money and figured the more hours he logged on, the more money he'd make for us. I thought it was ridiculous since it meant he couldn't patrol anymore. Mikey came along a few times, but soon he stopped doing it, too, claiming that the parties made him too tired to even think of patrolling at night. It got so I didn't like being alone, and then I remembered the talk I'd had with Slash.

I showed up to the warehouse, and he smiled at me. "Good to see you, brother," he said. "What's the occasion?"

"I'm here to join your team," I answered.

It took a second for my words to sink in, but then he grinned and held out his hand. "Welcome to the team, Raph," he said.

I shook his hand and followed him inside.

22222

"Hey, dudes, check it out," Mondo whispered as he pointed to the group of Purple Dragons that were going toward an antiques store. I couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu of when Mikey did the exact same thing. I shook the thought away. I wasn't with Mikey or Donnie. I was with the Mutanimals now.

"Looks like those guys are up to somethin'," Slash remarked.

"You think we should take them down?" I asked him. Normally, I would have just jumped into the fight with no thought, but with Slash, things felt different. I didn't want to get him upset, and I wasn't sure if he was like Leo or if he would handle my rashness differently.

Slash grinned at me. "Hell yeah," he said. "Let's teach these guys a lesson."

I smiled because I knew Leo would be talking about how we have to have an efficient strategy. Slash wasn't like that, and that was great to see. He knew how I worked and he knew what we needed to do. I jumped down with my new team and we cornered the Dragons.

"Hey, it's that freak Turtle," Fong said. "Where are your brothers, freak? Did they bail on ya because they couldn't take your shit?"

"No, I got me a new team," I answered. "But the objective is still the same." With a yell, I charged at Fong, my sais held at the ready. He dodged me but ran smack into Slash. He turned and stared up at the giant Turtle.

"How you doin'?" Slash asked before he punched Fong in the face. The leader fell down and didn't get back up.

"Nice one, Slash," I praised him.

"All in a day's work," he answered.

Leatherhead took down Tsoi and Sid while the others took down their opponents. Slash took out some rope and tied them up for the cops to find. Then he placed an anonymous call to the cops via a pay phone so his T-Phone couldn't get traced.

"Nice job, team," he said. "That was a great battle and you all did well."

"Dudes, that was awesome!" cheered Mondo.

"Yeah, it was pretty great," I agreed.

"Do you want to stay with us, Raph?" Slash asked me.

I thought about the warehouse where the Mutanimals stayed. It was definitely a nice place and a great change of scenery. But then my thoughts drifted back to home where Sensei was waiting for me. I couldn't just bail out on him like that no matter how mad I was at Mikey and Donnie.

"Sorry, Slash, but I have to go home," I answered. "My sensei will be worried about me."

Slash didn't get mad or try to convince me to join them. He just nodded and clapped me on the shoulder. "Yeah, I understand. Are you up for coming back tomorrow night?"

"That would be great," I replied.

"Good. See you then. And tell Splinter we said hi."

"I will," I promised. "See you." I waved to them and headed back home. My spirits were high as I thought about the fight that had happened. It felt great to fight with a team again, and I loved how the Mutanimals fought differently than we did. Most of the time, our fights were about planning and strategy which sometimes resulted in wasted time in getting the bad guys. But with the Mutanimals, they didn't worry too much about strategy. Their goal was to take down the bad guys by any means necessary, and that was my kind of fighting style.

When I arrived home, Splinter was waiting up for me as he always did when one of us or all of us left the Lair. I thought he would be mad or angry, but his face just showed relief as I came through the turnstiles.

"Did you have fun with Casey, Raphael?" he asked me.

I was about to lie and say that I did, but this was Master Splinter, and you never lied to him no matter what. "No, Sensei, I wasn't with Casey," I told him.

"Ah, you were alone?"

"No, I was with the Mutanimals. They asked me to join their team."

"And did you accept?"

My toe scuffed the floor and I hung my head. As much as I loved being with the Mutanimals, I knew my dad would see it as a betrayal of the clan, and he would probably forbid me from fighting with them. Still, I knew I couldn't beat around the bush with him. "Yeah, I did," I answered.

"I see. And why did you accept their invitation?"

"Because everything's changed, Sensei. Mikey and Donnie are so focused on their jobs that they don't want to patrol anymore, and I miss that. So when Slash asked me to join them, I thought it would be a good idea. Someone needs to stop the crime, Master Splinter. You trained us to fight, but it's no good if half of our team is all the way in Japan and the other half doesn't want to fight because they're too fixated on making money. I saw an opportunity to change that, and I took it. I know you probably are mad at me and feel like I betrayed the clan, but I had to do it, Sensei. And if you want to kick me out, I totally get it."

Splinter regarded me as I lifted my head up. I waited for him to yell at me and to send me away just like Leo would have. However, he didn't do anything like that. Instead, he smiled at me.

"Perhaps this is a good thing, Raphael," he said. "It will be a way for you to channel your energy and your anger. You have my blessing to fight with the Mutanimals, but if your brothers are able to patrol, you must still patrol with them as well. Make sure Slash knows of this."

"I will, Master Splinter," I said. "Thank you."

"You are welcome, Raphael," he replied. "Now, go get some sleep."

I bowed and headed to my room. On the way, I checked on Donnie and Mikey. Donnie's room was empty which meant that he was probably still in his lab working at his job. Mikey was sleeping in his room, mumbling something about pizza. I smiled and went to my room which was just as it always was. I settled into bed and closed my eyes, happy that Sensei accepted my new role. I figured it would be a good idea to have another team to rely on, and if it helped me to fight better, that was a plus too. I didn't care what Leo would think. In fact, I even took out my phone and texted him that I was with the Mutanimals now. I waited for the buzz of my phone to indicate that I had a text, but it was silent. And for some reason, that made me feel like I was more alone than ever.

A/N: And that's the end of Raph's chapter. I usually don't plan how long the chapters will be. They're as long as I can carry them out and that's that. I had fun with this one as I love the Mutanimals and wanted to bring them into the story. Next up will be Donnie's chapter though I haven't plotted it out fully yet, so I don't know when it'll be up. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Tech Support

A/N: Yay! Another chapter is here! I have to admit, I dread this one as I'm not that confident about writing Donatello as I am about writing the others, but this will be a good test to see if I can do it right. Thanks to all of those who have been kind enough to read, review, follow, and favorite this story. That means the world to me that you like this story so much. Thanks a million. I hope you enjoy this chapter, too.

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon. I only own the plot and nothing more.

A lot of changes happened in our lives. I have noticed upon studying humans that many humans don't like change and often shy away from it. Master Splinter always taught us to embrace and flow with change. Easier said than done I guess depending on the change. I was the type to try to go with the flow, but so many changes kept happening, it was hard to keep up with them.

The first change was when Tony Salini left us. Granted, he had to do it because his uncle died and he was the next in line to take over the pizza shop, but it was the hardest thing ever for us. Tony was our friend, and it felt weird not having him in our lives anymore. Raph took it the hardest and felt it was a betrayal. He made a vow never to speak to Tony again. I felt that was too harsh, but that's the way Raph is sometimes. He's notorious for holding grudges against anybody as long as he feels it's necessary. I didn't feel like Tony deserved it though because he didn't have a choice. Still, it was really quiet without him there with us. Mikey also took it hard because he was very fond of Tony and liked him as more than a friend. For a few weeks, Mikey just stayed in his room and sobbed over Tony's absence. I felt bad for him, but there was nothing I could do even though I tried to comfort him. Mikey just wouldn't be comforted. Leo and I took it in stride because we understood why Tony did it. We knew he felt bad about it because of the look on his face. But life sometimes hands you obstacles you can't change no matter what, and this was one of those times.

Another change was when April left for college. This was a change I had been dreading every time she mentioned she wanted to go to college. I was hoping she would study at NYU so she could still be close, but April was the type to want to go on an adventure and not stay close to home. She figured since her dad was okay now it was time for her to move on, so she left for California. I didn't want her to leave me, but at the same time, I couldn't force her to stay. It wouldn't be right. And considering that we weren't an official couple (not that she had ever been mine to begin with), there was no reason to keep her here in New York. She said goodbye to me and said she'd Skype me and e-mail me when she got the chance, and I had to be thankful for that. Since then, I've gotten a few e-mails and a few Skype calls, and while it's good to hear her and see her face, it's not the same as having her here. This is one change I wasn't prepared for and I know Casey wasn't either. But neither of us had a claim on her, so she was free to do as she pleased. I loved her enough to grant her that request because I didn't own her and didn't want to be one of those guys who controlled her. But it wasn't the same as having her touch my cheek and running my hands through her hair. It wasn't the same thing as having her in my lab with me while I worked on a project. But it was something I had to deal with, so I did.

The next change was when Leo decided to go to Japan with Karai. Things hadn't been going well between Leo and Raph, and I couldn't understand why. Sure, those two fought sometimes, but they always made up for it. This time it didn't seem like they would ever make up the fight. I tried to be the peacemaker and talk to both of them, but they didn't listen to me. I wasn't happy that Leo was leaving, but I knew it was the only way for him to get any peace of mind away from Raph. So while I understood the change, I didn't like it and wished it didn't have to happen for our family to remain whole. So Leo left and we tried to go through the motions of doing what we did before, but it wasn't the same. I wanted purpose in my life and while I didn't hate being a ninja, it just wasn't the same without the four of us.

Then I received a call from April that changed the way I looked at things. I was in my lab going over some notes when my computer beeped, indicating that I had a call. I logged onto Skype and saw that it was April.

"Hey, April, how's it going?" I asked her.

"Pretty good, Donnie," she answered. "How are you?"

"Could be better," I answered. Then I filled her in on what had been going on since she left.

"Wow!" she said. "No wonder you're on edge. Well, I wanted to let you know that I found a job that would be perfect for you. It's a tech support job where you work from home and help people fix things. One of my friends from college told me about it, and I immediately thought of you since you're so good at fixing things."

"Thanks, April, but I'm not that good at it," I said bitterly. "I can't even fix the cracks in my own family."

"Donnie, don't say that," she begged. "It's not your fault these things have happened. And this is all the more better for you taking the job. It'll give you a sense of purpose now that Raph's gone his way and Mikey's got his party business to start. I think it would be good for you, so you should take it."

"You really think so?" I asked her.

She nodded. "Yeah, I do. It'll make you feel better about everything that's going on."

"Well, if you insist, I suppose I should give it a shot," I replied. "Thanks for this, April. I owe you one."

"No, you don't owe me anything," she said. "I'm glad to help you out. I miss you and I wish I could be there."

"I know, but you need your education. Do you like college?"

"Oh, I love it. It's just so awesome, and I've made a lot of good friends."

"Well, that's good."

"Yeah, but there's only one problem."

"And what's that?"

"None of those friends are you, Donnie. They're nice and funny and smart, but they aren't you. No one can hold a candle to you, Hamato Donatello. I know it's not fair of me to say that, but it's true."

"And no one can hold a candle to you, April O'Neil," I replied. I knew I shouldn't be saying that or thinking these thoughts, but I couldn't help it. April made my world complete, and it was hard for me to be away from her. I constantly worried about her safety even though she was now a kunoichi and could handle herself just fine. It was just a matter of being overprotective even though I had no right to be that way.

"Well, I better get going. I have to work on a term project with my group. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay," I said. "Have fun with your group."

She laughed. "Thanks," she said. "Have fun with this job."

"I will," I said. "Wait, is there anything I need to know about it?"

"I e-mailed you the details, so you should check it and see if it works out," she answered.

"Okay, I'll go do that. Talk to you later."

"Talk to you later. Bye."

The screen went blank, and I closed out of Skype and logged on to my e-mail to see what April had given me. The link seemed pretty straightforward, and I immediately went through the application process without a hitch. I wasn't sure if this job was going to be the key to helping me deal with all of the changes surrounding us, but it was worth a shot.

A few days later, I heard back from the site and was accepted as a tech support representative. It made me feel good to know I had a purpose in life and that I could use my knowledge for something.

If only I could do the same for my family.

22222

"This is Donatello speaking. How may I help you?"

"Yeah, my Internet keeps disconnecting on me every time I try to log on, and I don't know why."

"Have you tried reconnecting?"

"Yeah, but it keeps doing the same thing."

"Okay, shut down the computer and reboot it. Maybe that'll help."

After a few minutes, the woman said, "Yeah, that worked. Thanks for your help."

"Always glad to be of service. Have a nice day."

Another call came in not two seconds later.

"Hello, this is Donatello. How may I help you?"

"When I put my computer on this morning, it started smoking. What's up with that?"

"Your fan may not be working anymore, so you'll have to get a new one."

"Okay, can you order me a new fan?"

"I'm sorry, but we don't do that here. We're merely tech support. You would have to go to Best Buy for something like that."

"Well, why can't you do it?"

"Because we don't do that. We merely help people with their technical problems and give them instructions."

"Seems to me that if you're a tech support service you would be able to purchase a new fan for me."

"Well, I can't, so I'm really sorry, sir. You'll just have to go to Best Buy or a computer shop for that."

"You know what? Fuck you and fuck your company. I'm never doing business with you again!"

I sighed as the caller hung up. Sometimes I hated this job with a passion, but it was the only thing keeping me going on some days. When my shift was over, I logged out and put my stuff away. I exited my lab and ran into Raph who was just coming home from yet another patrol with the Mighty Mutanimals.

"Hey, Raph, glad to see you're in one piece," I joked.

He glared at me. "Have fun with your little tech job?" he asked.

"Yeah, I really like it," I lied.

"It's ridiculous," he said. "You're just tryin' to be somethin' you're not."

"At least I'm trying to earn some money for our family," I retorted. "What are you doing to earn a living?"

"Takin' care of crime like we should be," he answered. "I may not get paid like you do, but at least I'm still doin' what Splinter trained us to do."

"Yeah because Splinter trained us to look for a fight," I said sarcastically.

"Screw you, Donnie," he spat. "I don't need this!" Then he stormed to his room.

I sighed and went to my own room to try and catch up on sleep. Raph was wearing on my nerves, and I was getting tired of fighting with him. I could see why Leo left, and for a moment, I wished that I could leave too. It wasn't any fun being here with the family like this. Why did everything have to fall apart so quickly? What had happened to us?

22222

The smell of bacon and eggs woke me up out of a sound sleep, and I knew Mikey was cooking breakfast. I got up and made my way to the kitchen. Sure enough, Mikey was cooking and greeted me with a smile.

"Hey, D, nice to see you up," he said. "So, how's it going?"

"Good," I answered. "How was your latest party?"

"Pretty good although the kids beat me up a little," he replied. "I never thought kids could be so brutal."

I smiled at him. "Well, maybe you shouldn't have introduced them to the toy nunchucks," I told him. "Maybe then they wouldn't beat you up."

"I thought it was a cool idea," he protested. "And it's better than them being real. Just imagine what would have happened then."

"You better hope they don't grab onto your real ones then," I teased him.

"They won't, bro," he reassured me. "I always have those stashed in the van."

I was about to say more when Splinter walked in. We both smiled and bowed to him.

"Good morning, my sons," he greeted us.

"Good morning, Sensei," we chorused.

"Where is Raphael this morning?" he asked us.

"He's probably still in bed," I answered. "Do you want me to wake him up?"

"Yes, practice will be starting soon," he said.

I knew it wasn't a good idea to wake Raph, but when Splinter told us to do something we did it no questions asked. I got out of my chair and made my way to Raph's room. Ignoring the Stop sign on the door, I knocked loudly.

"Raph, it's time to get up," I said. "Sensei wants you downstairs."

No answer save for a loud snore.

Sighing in exasperation, I opened the door and went into my brother's room. He was in bed out like a light. This definitely wasn't good. I went over to his bed and shook him.

"Raph, it's time to get up," I said. "If you don't get up, Sensei's gonna make you do flips." I shook him one more time and that's when I got a reaction. Before I could process anything, I was thrown across the room and landed in a heap next to his wall.

"What the hell do you think you're doin', Donnie?" he demanded.

"I'm doing what Splinter told me to do," I replied. "Sensei wants you downstairs so we can have practice after breakfast."

"Who died and made you leader?" he retorted.

"Nobody, and I thank the stars for that," I said. "Let's go."

Grumbling, Raph followed me downstairs. He didn't have any eggs or bacon but opted for cereal instead. Mikey served me some food, and we all ate. Mikey tried to inject some conversation into the meal, but nobody was really willing to even talk to him. Raph just leveled him with a glare that would have killed Mikey on the spot if looks could kill, making Mikey wilt in his seat. Seriously, Raph had a problem, and I wasn't sure if I was equipped to handle it.

Practice was a disaster. Now that we were down one Turtle, we could no longer spar the usual way. That meant that two of us would have to spar while one of us sat out. I was hoping I'd be the odd Turtle out, but not today. Splinter had me sparring with Raph while Mikey sat out. Yeah, this definitely wasn't going to go well. Mikey sat out while the two of us got ready to spar. We bowed to each other and Splinter gave us the command to begin.

Right away, Raph tried to tackle me, but I dodged him and leveled an attack of my own. He narrowly missed getting hit on the head which caused him to get mad and get even rougher with me than usual. I managed to counter his attacks and tripped him up with my bo, causing him to fall on his face. Before he could get up, I pinned him and leveled my bo at his neck, ending the match.

"Yame!' Splinter called. "Well done, Donatello. I see you have gained a lot of confidence. Raphael, it seems you are losing focus. Perhaps it would be best if you did not get home so late at night."

"Why should we even do this anymore, Sensei?" Raph asked. "We already know it all."

Splinter leveled him with a stern look. "There are many things you know, that is true," he conceded. "However, there are still things you need to learn, and that is why we still practice. I am not going to let you boys fall behind just because Leonardo is not here. Now is not the time to slack off, my son."

"Whatever," Raph muttered. "I still think it's stupid."

Splinter struck the floor with his walking stick. "That is enough!" he chastised. "It is not up to you to tell me when you have stopped learning. Ten flips. Now!"

Raph sighed and went to the corner to begin his punishment. Once he was done, he stormed out and went to his room. Mikey went to the pit to watch TV, and I was about to go to my lab when Splinter stopped me.

"Donatello, I would like a word with you," he said.

Wondering what this could be about, I followed my father into his chambers. He sat down, and I sat across from him, my eyes roving around to look at the room. I hadn't been in here for some time, and I couldn't help feeling that maybe I was in trouble for something.

Sensing my thoughts, Splinter smiled at me. "I am not here to scold you, my son," he said gently. "You did well today, and I am proud of you. However, I do feel that Raphael is taking your brother's absence the hardest out of all of you."

"It's been hard for all of us, Master Splinter," I corrected him. "And I think Tony's absence is to blame, too."

"Yes, but I think this has more to do with Leonardo," he answered. "Raphael is lost without your brother, and it is taking a toll on him and causing him to behave in a manner that is very distressing to me. That is why I feel that you need to keep an eye on him. This team needs a leader, and I feel that since Leonardo is not here that you will make a fine leader yourself."

I gaped at his words. "But, Sensei, I've never led anyone before," I protested. "And wasn't the agreement that if Leo wasn't able to lead that Raph would take his place? After all, Raph is second in command."

"Yes, but Raphael's mental state is such that leading would be impossible for him to do," he replied. "Therefore it will be up to you to take your brother's place, Donatello. I feel that Leonardo would have wanted it to be this way."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Sensei," I said. "I just don't think I'd be fit for the job."

"There is no shame in trying, my son," he said gently. "Both you and Leonardo are good strategists, and that is what is needed in a leader. I know you do not want to do this, but you have no choice, my son. You must do this for your brothers. They are counting on you."

I wanted to refuse. I wanted to shout out this wasn't fair to put this burden on me so quickly and so soon. But I knew that Splinter had a point. Raph wasn't in any fit state to be the leader, and Mikey definitely wouldn't be a good fit with his short attention span. That left me to take the role that my older brother had cherished for so long. I knew it would be a challenge, but this was the best thing for all of us.

I sighed. "Okay," I said. "I accept, Sensei."

"Good," he said. "Then it is settled. You may go now."

I left his room and went to my lab, knowing that I had signed up for something I wasn't ready for. It was just another reminder of how I had to fix this family, though I knew that it was going to be a monumental task. Shaking that thought out of my head, I turned on my computer, ready to face the onslaught of customers I had to lead and help with their problems. I would deal with this when the time came, but I had to focus on my job first. Then I would worry about patrol.

22222

I was ready for patrol early and saw that Mikey was ready too. Last to come out was Raph, who grumbled about the whole thing and how pointless it was.

"I was supposed to patrol with Slash," he complained.

"You can't just abandon your brothers, Raph," I insisted. "You have a priority with us, too."

"Well, I wish I didn't," he grumbled.

I ignored him and led them to the surface. I scanned the building, looking for signs of activity just like Leo would do. Then I turned to my brothers, a serious look on my face. "Okay, Raph you take west, Mikey, you take east, I'll take north and then we'll meet up here and patrol south together."

"Wait, you're letting Mikey go off alone?" Raph asked. "We always go in pairs."

"Yes, but since we have only three of us instead of four, I decided it would be better to go alone for the first half of patrol," I answered.

"But what if something happens to him?" Raph asked.

"He has his T-Phone, Raph, and as long as it's on, I can track him," I replied. "You worry too much. Besides, you're all about going it alone nowadays. Why would this be a problem to you?'

"I'm not worried about me, Shell Brain!" he snapped. "I just don't think it's right for Mikey to go off alone."

"Dude, it's gonna be okay," Mikey said. "I can handle myself. I'm not a little kid, Raph."

"You know how you are when your focus is challenged," he retorted. "You'd probably run into a Foot Ninja and get creamed."

"Raph, that's enough," I said, injecting as much authority in the words as I could. "I've made my decision, and that's final. Mikey will go off alone and we'll meet back up here later."

"Well, you know what? I think your leadership sucks, Donnie. I'm tired of this team. I'm gonna go patrol with a team who knows what they're doing. Later." And before I could say anything, he backflipped off the roof and disappeared.

Mikey put a hand on my shoulder. "Don't sweat it, D," he said gently. "Raph will come back. Let's just patrol together and forget about him."

"Yeah, you're right," I said. Then I smiled. "Race you!" I took off and could hear him following me. But despite my words and how I tried to hide my fear from Mikey, I knew that this wasn't the way things should be. Raph should be patrolling with us, not the Mighty Mutanimals. As much as I liked the team myself, it wasn't right for Raph to abandon us for them. I knew Leo would be ashamed of me and how I failed to keep Raph in line. Leo would have been more persistent while I just let him go without forcing him to come back. This definitely wasn't a good start to my stint as leader, and I had a feeling that things weren't going to get better any time soon.

A/N: And that's the end of another chapter. You know, that wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I'm getting the hang of writing Donnie now. Next up will be Mikey's chapter and we'll see how he's taking all of this. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Party Dude

A/N: Hey, here's the next chapter in this saga. Now we'll get to see how Mikey's feeling about everything that's happened and learn more about his new career, too. Thanks to all of those who have read and reviewed thus far. Your kind words mean the world to me. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon. I only own the plot and nothing more than that.

I really hate change.

I know change is a part of life, but it sucks how things always shave to change. Why can't things just stay like they are? I asked Master Splinter about it, and he said that a true ninja has to adapt and flow with change. When I asked why that is, he said it was just part of growth. Still, it's not something I'm fond of, and given all of the changes that have happened lately, I'm not really the type to be forgiving about it.

The first change that happened in our lives is when Tony Salini, one of our best friends, left us. His uncle died and he had to take over Antonio's in his place. I understood why he had to, but I didn't understand why that meant he couldn't hang out with us anymore. When I asked him about that, he said, "It's just the way things are, Mikey. I can't give up my responsibilities to my family." I hated that answer and thought it was a lame excuse. Why did he have to abandon us? Why couldn't he just stay with us and hang out with us? When he left, it was like a knife going through my stomach, and I went to my room and cried. I know the others heard me, but no one said anything except for Leo. He said, "That's the way things are, Mikey. You have to accept it and move on." Easy for him to say. He didn't feel about Tony the way I did. Tony was my best friend, but he was also much more than that. I loved him, and I felt like he was breaking up with me, and it hurt.

I thought maybe that was it for changes, but then Leo decided to go to Japan with Karai. I knew our sis wanted to go because she wanted to see where she was born and learn more about her mom, but it was astounding that Leo wanted to go with her. His excuse was that he wanted to protect her from harm, but I knew Karai was more than capable of taking care of herself given that she was a kick ass kunoichi. I knew there was more to this than that and that it had to do with the problems going on between Leo and Raph. I hated seeing my brothers fight, but I couldn't do anything about it, and that's what sucked the most for me. I figured Splinter would forbid Leo from going and say that he had to stay with his team, but Splinter allowed it and said it would be a good idea. So Leo and Karai left and yet another hole was left in our family. I couldn't believe all of this was happening to us! Our family was falling apart, and there was nothing I could do about it.

We tried to go on after Leo left, but it was hard. Raph got tired of it and joined up with the Mighty Mutanimals, saying that he was working with a better team. Donnie and I went through the motions, but it wasn't the same. Then I got the idea to look for a job since we were short on money and we didn't want to bother Mr. O'Neil with funding us since he was paying for April to go to college. Donnie found an ad for someone wanting entertainment for a birthday party, and I thought it was a good idea. We tricked out the Party Wagon, and Donnie made me a foam head that looked a lot like my real self.

"Dude, why can't I go as myself?" I asked him.

"Because you're supposed to be in costume, and you know how little kids are," he answered. "We have to make it look as good as possible."

Okay, I could roll with that. So I shut up and helped him out until it was done. He even made a fake zipper that I could attach to my plastron to make it look like I was wearing a costume. I thought it was neat, and that's how Cowabung Carl was born. I was originally going to call myself Booyakasha Bob, but I figured that would be too big of a mouthful for the kids to say.

I don't think Raph was on board with this whole thing. When I showed him my costume, he just rolled his eyes and said, "Man, you look like a doofus."

"Isn't that the point?" I asked.

"Why are you doin' this anyway, Mikey?" he asked me. "You know Sensei hates it when we're around strangers."

"Because I want to earn a living," I answered. "We need the money, and this will pay well so we don't have to keep asking April's dad for a loan."

"That's what drug dealers and criminals are for," he countered. "We take the money from them and keep it for ourselves."

Sensei was fine with me doing this, but he warned me to be careful and to make sure the kids didn't see me. I promised him I'd be careful and that was that.

The big day arrived and I got ready to go out to my first job. I thought maybe Donnie would come with me, but he was working at a tech support job and was starting that. I sighed and put everything in the van before heading out. The address was easy enough to find due to the balloon that was on the railing of the front steps. I got out of the van after donning my fake head, took a deep breath, and went inside.

"Kids, come and see who I brought," the mother said in a cheery voice.

The kids immediately stampeded for the living room and gathered around me.

"Hey, kids," I said. "I'm Cowabunga Carl. So, who's the birthday dude?"

"That's birthday girl to you," a girl with blonde hair said as she made her way to the front of the crowd.

"My apologies, dudette," I said.

"So, what sort of tricks do you do?" she asked me.

Tricks? What, were they expecting a magician? Then I smiled. "I can do this," I answered and performed a backflip. Then I did some katas Sensei had taught me.

"Cool!" one of the boys said. "Are you a ninja?"

"In a manner of speaking," I answered.

"That's stupid!" the birthday girl said. "I didn't want this. I wanted the clown! Mommy, why didn't you get me the clown?"

"He was already booked, sweetie," she said gently. "So I had to get Cowabunga Carl instead."

"Well, he sucks!" she snapped. "This is the worst party ever!" She started to storm away, but I grabbed her arm.

"Hold on, dudette," I said. "I have something for you." I reached into a bag I'd brought with me and gave her a set of foam nunchaku.

She looked at them and scowled. "I don't want these. Don't you have a balloon flower for me?"

"Sorry, dudette, but I don't make balloon flowers," I said to her.

"You suck!" she snapped and kicked me in the leg before going upstairs. I winced in pain and rubbed where she'd kicked me.

"Don't listen to her, Carl," said one boy. "I think you're cool. Can I have those things?"

"Sure," I answered.

That led to all of the others clamoring for foam nunchaku too, but I only had one pair on me. "Um, sorry, guys, but I only have one pair."

The boys groaned at my words, but I made up for it by teaching them a few katas. Soon they were engrossed in learning the moves until it was time for cake.

"I guess that's my cue to exit," I said.

"No, you can stay, Carl," the girl's mother said. "You did a wonderful job with the kids. Have some cake."

"Um, okay," I said.

She called the birthday girl down to blow out her candles. The girl did so, but she wasn't happy about it. Then the mom cut the cake and served it to all of the kids. She gave me one, and I ate it, feeling thankful that Donnie had made the mouth on the foam head wide enough for me to be able to eat the cake without taking the head off.

"Can you take your mask off, Carl?" one boy asked.

"Sorry, dude, but that would ruin the illusion," I answered.

The kids left to play some games the mother had, and I felt that was my time to go. To thank me for what I did, the mother gave me some money and another piece of cake. I thanked her and left the house, feeling that at least my first job had gone well.

I set the cake aside and headed for home. I pulled the van into the garage and got out, pulling my head off as I did. Humming a tune, I entered the Lair and looked around. Raph wasn't there and I figured Donnie would be in his lab.

Splinter came out of his room and greeted me. "How was your first job, Michelangelo?" he asked me.

"Pretty good," I answered. "I got paid and I got some cake. You want it?"

Splinter took the foil wrapped package and unwrapped it. "Yes, I suppose I could have this piece if you do not want it," he replied.

"Nah, I had my fill at the party," I said.

Splinter went to the kitchen and got a fork before digging in. "I do like buttercream," he mused as he savored the taste of the frosting.

Donnie came out of his lab at the sound of my arrival. "Oh, hey, Mikey," he greeted me. "How was your first day?"

"Good," I answered. "The birthday girl wasn't happy with me, but I did get free cake."

His eyes lit up. "Where is it?" he asked me.

"I gave it to Sensei," I replied. "He likes buttercream."

Don gave me a stern glare. "Mikey, you know that's not healthy for him!" he scolded. "He has to watch his sugar intake!"

A few months ago, Sensei had a mild heart attack, and since then, Donnie had been on our case to make sure that we didn't give him foods he shouldn't eat. But it was just a mild heart attack. Sensei was fine, and I figured he could eat whatever he wanted to as long as it was in moderation.

"Don't ever give him the cake again!" Don said. "Save it for either yourself, Raph, or me."

'Dude, it's just one piece," I protested. "It's not like it's a whole cake."

"Donatello, I appreciate your concern, but it is not up to you to tell me what I can and cannot eat in my own home," Splinter chastised.

"Yes, it is because I'm the family doctor and I have to oversee all of our medical needs," he retorted. "I'm sorry, Sensei, but I'm just looking out for you. I don't want you to get worse."

Splinter nodded but said nothing more as he finished the cake. I really didn't get what Donnie's deal was, but I was going to find out that he was going to have a lot more on his shoulders than just being the family medic.

22222

Practice was a disaster, but that's been par for the course lately. The worst thing was that Raph mouthed off to Sensei and stormed out of the dojo after his punishment was over. I know Raph can have a temper, but he's always known about the fine line that can't be crossed, and that's usually mouthing off to Master Splinter that's a no no. But he did it this time. I thought he was out of control, and I couldn't understand why he was acting like this. Sensei dismissed us and asked to talk to Donnie. I wanted to eavesdrop, but I knew that wasn't a good idea, so I left the dojo and played the Space Heroes pinball machine we had. I had just beaten my high score again when Donnie came out of the dojo.

"So, what did Sensei want to talk to you about, D?" I asked him.

"He's appointed me as the leader of this team," he answered. "He thinks that Raph's out of control because there's no leadership, so he figures if he appoints a leader, Raph will fall into line."

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him I couldn't be a leader, but he said I have to try anyway. I know this isn't a good idea, and I know it'll fall apart. I'm just not fit to lead anyone."

"I hear you, dude," I said as I patted his shoulder. "But I do think you'd make an awesome leader. I just hope Leo won't get mad when he comes home."

"Oh, I'm sure Splinter will give him the job once he comes back," Don replied. "That is, if the family doesn't fall apart by then."

"It won't, Donnie," I reassured him. "We'll figure things out. Wanna play with me?"

He sighed. "I wish I could, but I have to get back to work. See you later, Mikey."

I watched him go, feeling lonely. Donnie was always good for a game of pinball with me, and he sometimes let me stay in his lab as long as I didn't touch anything. But lately, he was spending a lot of time by himself working at his tech support job. Don't get me wrong, I was happy about what he was doing, but it was cutting into some serious brotherly bonding time. With a sigh, I continued playing my game for a few more rounds before plopping down and watching some TV. I seriously hoped Leo would come home soon because without him, things just weren't the same.

22222

If I had thought practice had gone bad, patrol was even worse. Raph ended up storming away and going to join the Mutanimals on their patrol. Donnie was bummed out, so I tried making him feel better. He smiled at what I was saying and challenged me to a race. I accepted, but I could see his heart wasn't really in it. I let him beat me and waited for him to catch his breath.

"I just don't know if this will work," he said. "Raph's never abandoned patrol before."

"Maybe you should write to Leo," I suggested. "Get his advice on what to do."

Don snorted. "Yeah, right," he scoffed. "Leo hasn't answered any of my letters. Do you really think he'll answer me this time? And even if he did, do you really think he'd help me out? He'd probably just say it's my problem and that he can't deal with it anymore."

"That's not true!" I protested. "Leo's always helped us out of any trouble we're having. I'm sure he'd be able to tell you what to do."

Don shook his head. "No, I'm not going to ask for help," he answered. "Sensei wants me to be the leader, so I'm going to do this my way. Leo can enjoy his trip to Japan without any of us interfering."

I was hurt at his words. He needed help, and yet he was too stubborn to ask for it. I decided it was time for me to do some damage control of my own. Don would never admit he needed help, but I could see that this was already taking a toll on him. After we returned home, I retreated to my room and pulled out my T-Phone. I pulled up my inbox and keyed in Leo e-mail. It was time to talk to my brother once and for all.

 **Dear Leo,**

 **I know you're probably having an awesome time in Japan, but I thought I would write to you anyway. Things aren't going well here, and I feel like the family is falling apart. Donnie was just appointed leader in your place, and it's not going well. He needs help, and since he won't write to you himself, I figured I'd do it instead. I know he'll be pissed at me that I interfered, but I can't stand seeing him so stressed. Raph's changed, dude. He mouthed off to Sensei and even stormed away from patrol. He's joined the Mighty Mutanimals now and thinks he's better off with them. I want to get your advice on what Don can do to stop Raph from acting like this. What would you do in Don's place, Leo? I really need to know before this family goes crazy.**

 **Don got a tech support job so he can earn money, and I'm doing birthday parties for little kids. It's pretty cool even though the kids can be brats at times. At least I get money and free cake. I gave my cake to Master Splinter, but Don wasn't happy about that. Did I tell you Sensei had a mild heart attack a few months ago? He's fine, but Don's all touchy about what he eats now. It's pretty annoying. I mean, we're all gonna die someday, right? Why not just live a little?**

 **Anyway, I hope you answer this soon, Leo. I miss you and Karai. Tell her hi from me and that I wish you guys would come home.**

 **Love,**

 **Mikey**

I hit Send and set my phone down. I wasn't sure if he'd reply or not, but at least I took comfort in the fact that I had the courage to do something about the problem. I sighed and settled down to sleep, hoping that I'd get a reply in the morning.

When I woke up, I looked at my phone to see if Leo had replied, but there were no new messages. And for some reason, that made me feel awful to know that Leo had ignored my cry for help. I had to wonder if our family would ever be the same again and if we'd ever go back to where we were before.

A/N: So that's the end of another chapter. I really hope you enjoyed it. The next chapter will be Leo's again, and we'll see what he and Karai are up to and why Leo hasn't answered any of his brothers' messages. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: A Feud Reborn

A/N: It's been a while since I've written for this story, but I wasn't sure where to go with things at first. Now I know where this is going, so I'm pleased to be bringing you the next chapter in this tale. This will be Leo's chapter and will discuss what happened to him and Karai in Japan. Many thanks to all of those who have read and reviewed thus far. Your kind words mean the world to me and I appreciate that you like this story.

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon. I only own the plot and nothing more than that.

The boat cut through the water, and Karai and I looked out of one of the portholes. We figured we had to be nearing land soon, and we were both anxious to get off of the boat. I just wondered what my brothers were doing and how they were holding up after my departure.

"We're almost there, Leo," Karai said. "I can't wait to see where I was born."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I asked her.

She fixed me with a determined glare I knew only too well. "Yes, I do," she replied. "This is my only chance to see where my mother grew up and where I was born. I could have taken this journey by myself, Leo."

"No, you couldn't," I told her. "I had to come with you."

"Is this about Raph?"

I shook my head vehemently. "No, this has nothing to do with him," I answered. "I just don't know if the Foot are still in Japan."

"If they are, they're probably really weak," she reassured me. "We'll be fine."

We had defeated Shredder and after he was gone, the Foot in New York had slowly disbanded, becoming a shell of what they once were. It was a relief for us because we no longer had to worry about them, though Don and I both theorized that some had fled to Japan. If that was the case, I wasn't about to let Karai go there alone to face them. If she got wind of them being there, she would more than likely try to defeat them, and I couldn't risk losing her.

The boat docked, and we snuck out like the ninja and kunoichi that we were. We headed away from Tokyo and set out for the forest away from the city. I wasn't sure where we were going or how to get to where Karai used to live with Tang Shen, but it was worth a shot to try and find it again for her sake.

"Do you know where we're going?" she asked me.

"Not really, but I'm sure we'll find it," I said confidently. I tried to make it sound simple even though it was anything but simple. It had been a long time since we'd traveled back in time to gaze upon a past we had only heard stories about. I remembered that day so clearly and how it had been our job to make sure Shen chose the right man and that Splinter was saved from the horrible fire. I remembered holding Karai as a baby ad how she had taken to me even then. Maybe in her baby way, she had sensed that we would meet again. I had already told Karai about this, and she had laughed as I told her how she'd pulled my mask tails.

"That sounds hilarious," she'd laughed, pulling on my mask tails again.

"Even then you were so stubborn," I'd teased.

The forest was so vast, and I honestly had no idea what to do or where to go. We were both getting tired, so we decided to rest for the night. I set up the tent we'd packed and made a fire. I hunted in the woods and killed a rabbit which I roasted on the fire.

She smiled. "I didn't know you were a hunter," she said.

"We learned a lot at the farmhouse," I answered. "It was one of our only ways to survive."

"And here I thought you survived only on pizza alone," she teased.

I laughed. "No, that's Mikey," I corrected. Saying his name out loud caused a pang in my heart. He would have loved coming out here, but I knew it would have been too risky to have all of them come. This was something I had to do on my own with Karai, and that was that. I knew they were mad at me (or at least Raph was), but there was nothing I could do about that. They had to survive without me. It was the only way.

"What are you thinking about?" Karai asked softly.

I sighed. "My brothers," I replied. "I just wonder what they're doing now."

"Well, if I could hazard a guess, I bet Mikey is driving them nuts so they don't think about missing you," she predicted. "Raph is probably sulking and Donnie is probably shut up in his lab working on some crazy invention or maybe even building a nuclear bomb."

"Come on, Donnie's not that crazy," I said.

"Oh, I think he is," she said. "I think he has a bit of pyromania in him."

"Hey that was one time when he was curious about how fire worked," I reminded her.

"It still counts," she giggled. "This rabbit is pretty good."

"Thanks."

"So, what was it like after you woke up?" she asked me.

"It was good, but it was also bad," I explained. "I was glad I was alive, but sometimes I wished I hadn't survived. I was broken, and I didn't know if my brothers would be able to lift me back up. Obviously they did, but it was hard going for a while. I think the biggest fear on all of our minds was what had happened to Splinter."

"Yeah, I bet it was," she said softly.

"What was it like for you to wake up from the mind control?" I asked her.

"It felt like I could breathe again," she answered. "It was like no one could touch me or control me. It felt good, Leo, and I all I could think about was coming home to you."

A tender look crossed my face at her words. Despite the fact that she was Splinter's biological daughter, I still had feelings for her that would never go away. My brothers had been mixed when I'd told them of my feelings for her. Raph had been against it, saying it was incestuous and forbidden for us to be together. Mikey had been for it because he figured everyone deserved a chance at love. Don had been the only undecided vote as he could see both sides of the argument but advised me to follow my heart because he figured I was confident enough and smart enough to make my own judgments. Maybe we didn't have to deny our feelings for each other.

As if sensing my thoughts, Karai leaned toward me and kissed me on the lips. Tingles ran up my spine, and I gave in because I just couldn't stand resisting anymore. We kissed like that for a long time before breaking apart. Our food was gone, and we were both tired, so we decided to turn in for the night. We slept on opposite sides of the tent. I figured it was because Karai was afraid of her own emotions and didn't want us to do something we'd both regret later. With a sigh, we both settled down to sleep, hopeful that things would work out for us.

22222

The next morning we packed up and continued our search. I was beginning to think we'd never find what we were looking for when Karai pointed something out. As we neared the building, I recognized it as the dojo where Splinter and Shredder were taught by their sensei. Filled with excitement, I pulled on Karai's hand as I led her to the building.

"What is this place?" she asked.

"This is where Master Splinter and Shredder learned ninjutsu," I replied. "It was also where their rivalry for your mother started."

Karai said nothing as she took in the remains of the ruined dojo. We stayed there for a short time before we moved on and found the home where Karai had been raised as a baby. Someone else lived there now, so we couldn't go in, but we watched from afar as the woman who lived there hung laundry out on a line.

"I can't believe this is where I grew up," she said. "I can almost feel my mother's spirit here."

I took her hand. "She is here, Karai, and I know she would be proud of you."

"I want to see the dojo again," she requested.

I nodded and took her back there. She continued to stare at it, imagining the two men who had both raised her being taught here. One raised her to be honorable while one raised her on deceptions and lies. I knew it was hard for her to process all that had happened here.

"What happened that night?" she asked.

"Yoshi confronted Saki and Shen stepped between them," I answered. "Shredder killed her and a fire started. You were left outside. I wanted to take you, but I knew I couldn't do that, so I let you go. I know you're probably mad at me for that, and I am mad myself for what I didn't do. I could have saved you and you could have been raised with us."

"I'm not mad at you, Leo," she reassured me. "I'm glad you didn't save me. If you had then we would never have been able to be together as we are now."

I smiled at her words and kissed her on the lips. Then I sensed a presence and immediately tensed, unsheathing one of my swords. A group of figures came out of the forest and surrounded us. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that they wore the symbol of the Foot Clan upon their uniforms.

"How sweet," one of them mocked. "We have found a traitor and a freak."

"Who are you?" Karai demanded, holding her own sword in front of her.

"We are the last remnants of your father's clan," the one who had first spoken replied. "We fled to Japan after he was defeated and have rebuilt our clan here. How convenient that the one who betrayed the Foot to join the freaks has arrived here."

"How did you find us?" I demanded, my blue eyes narrowing in anger.

"We were patrolling the forest when we saw you stop here," the leader replied. "We knew that we had to take care of the problem immediately."

"And what problem is that?" spat Karai. "Shredder's dead. The Foot has disbanded."

"Yes, and those who split from him are no longer alive," replied the leader. "But we who are still loyal to him vowed revenge upon the freaks who killed him and his daughter who betrayed him. And now we can have our revenge."

"I am not the daughter of Oroku Saki," declared Karai. "I am the daughter of Hamato Yoshi."

"And that is why you must die," said the leader.

"Over my dead body!" I snarled as I stepped in front of Karai.

She nudged me. "Leo, stop," she whispered. "I'm fine."

"I won't let them hurt you," I declared.

"Look at how the freak protects her," the leader said to his men. "You can try to protect her, freak, but we will kill both of you. You cannot escape from us."

I leaned close to Karai. "When I give the signal, I want you to run," I said to her.

"Are you crazy?" she whispered back. "I'm not running from these goons."

"Karai, please," I pleaded. "You don't have to die."

"If I die, I'm going to take these fools down with me," she answered. And before I could stop her, she let out a cry and launched herself at the leader.

I joined in on the fight, but my focus was on her. I couldn't let them kill her. I owed it to Splinter to protect her from harm. This caused me to lose focus on the fight, and before I could react, I was hit over the head. My last words before I blacked out were for Karai to run.

22222

When I awoke, I noticed I was chained to a wall. The walls were dark stone save for a door in front of me that had bars. Where was I? Where was Karai? I looked around but didn't see anyone else with me. That meant she was either dead or still here somewhere else. I pulled at my chains, but they didn't give. There was no way I was getting out of here on my own.

"I see you're awake, freak," a guard outside my door said. He opened the door and came into my cell. "Did you have a good sleep?"

"Where's Karai?" I demanded. I didn't care about anything else this man said. I had to know she was okay.

"She is alive for now, but that may not be the outcome later," he replied.

His words caused me to growl. "Let us go!" I ordered him. "You have no beef with us!"

"Yes, we do," he said. "You are the ones who killed Shredder, and so you have to pay. Once we finish with you, we will hunt down your brothers and your Rat master and kill them as well."

"You'll never get to them!" I snarled.

He laughed. "We'll see about that," he taunted. "But enough chatter for now. I am here to take you to our leader." He untied my chain from the hook and hooked it to a loop in his belt. I could have choked him with it if I'd had enough leverage, but I didn't. He could sense my frustration and chuckled as he led me to another room. He strapped me down to a table and I waited until the leader came in.

"I see you are awake," he said. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Hitari Ito, new leader of the Foot Clan. You do not need to introduce yourself, for I know who you are, Hamato Leonardo. I have been intrigued by your family for many years. How I have longed to meet you once again, and now I have gotten my wish."

"Spit it out, Ito!" I snapped. "What do you want?"

"I want you to tell me where your family is hiding," he answered. "I know they are in New York and in the sewers, but I must find out where. You are going to tell me that information. If you don't, then not only will I make you suffer, but Karai will suffer as well. So if you care about her, you will do what I ask."

I bristled at his words. So this is what he wanted! No way! I wasn't going to sell out my family. It was a trick. "I will never tell you where they are," I declared.

He gritted his teeth. "Have it your way then," he said. He motioned to his guards and they came forward with sticks that looked like tasers. They prodded them in me, and pain shot through me as the electric charged surged through my body. I wasn't going to give in though. There was no way I was going to let this scum know where my family was. I would rather die. The guards let up on me and then I heard a piercing scream that could only be one person.

"Karai!" I cried. "Let her go! She has nothing to do with this!"

"She has everything to do with this, freak!" Ito replied. "She has betrayed the Foot Clan and now must suffer along with you. If you do not tell us where your family is, the torment will continue."

I shook my head. "I can't," I whispered. "I can't betray them."

Shocks continued to assault me, but I kept my teeth locked. There was no way I was going to scream. Then the guards stopped shocking me and beat me instead. I tried to fight back, but it was no use. There was nothing I could do. I felt a needle jab into me and the strength left my body. The last thing I heard was Karai's scream again before the world went black.

22222

When I awoke, I was in my cell again. Pain wracked my body from the punishment it had endured, but it was worth it. At least my family was safe. I only hoped Karai hadn't betrayed their whereabouts. No, Karai would never do that. She was too honorable and would rather die just as I would. I still worried about her though. How much longer would they keep her alive? She had more to lose than I did in this place.

I was given food and though I didn't want to take it, I knew I had to eat. It was a piece of chicken and some water. Not much, but it would keep me going. I ate it and drank the water. I was brought out again for questioning and once again refused to tell them anything, resulting in more punishment. This time they also cut me, tracing gashes throughout my body. Once again, I didn't care. I was not going to betray my family. They sedated me again and when I woke up, I was in my cell. I wasn't sure how long this was going to go on, but it didn't matter. Nothing was going to make me betray my family. It was as simple as that.

22222

I didn't know how long it had been since Karai and I were brought here. I never saw her and though I tried to hear if she was still alive, it was impossible. Was she dead? Had they taken her somewhere else? Every time I inquired about her, Ito just smirked at me and said, "Tell me where your family is, and I will tell you what you want to know." I shook my head and was subjected to more punishment. This cycle continued, but I wasn't going to give up. I couldn't succumb to their trickery.

While I was in my cell, I heard someone come in. It was a woman, and she carried a bowl of water and a cloth.

"I came here to help you," she said gently.

"Who are you?" I asked her.

"My name is Lotus," she answered. "I am a rogue who has infiltrated the Foot to crush them from within. I have a plan to rescue you and take you away from here."

"What about Karai? Is she alive?"

She nodded. "Yes, she is still alive, but they did horrible things to her. Do not worry. I will help you get out, but it will take time." She cleaned my wounds and kissed me on the cheek before leaving the cell. Her words gave me hope that we would escape here and go home. For her sake and for Karai's sake, I would do all I could to make sure that became a reality.

22222

I must have developed a fever because there were days where I could barely recognize what was going on. No one seemed to care and just continued to torture me when I would not give up the information they wanted. On one such day, I suddenly heard an explosion. There was a commotion of fighting, and I felt myself getting released from the restraints. There was a lot of yelling and I felt myself being carried. I wanted to struggle, but I didn't have the strength to do so. I heard someone running and focused on the steps. Soon I felt fresh air and knew we were outside. The running continued until I could smell water. We had to be close to the sea now. I felt whoever was carrying me shift me to someone else's arms.

"Take him," a voice I recognized as Lotus's said. "Go to the boat and get out of here before they find you."

"Thank you," I heard Karai say. "How can we repay you for what you did?"

"Get out of here," Lotus said. "Be safe and take care."

"You're welcome to come with us," Karai offered. "I'm sure our father could offer you a safe place."

She shook her head. "I do not belong there. Hurry! You must go!"

It sounded like Karai wanted to protest, but she knew Lotus was right and left. She boarded the boat and I felt myself being set down on a blanket.

"It's okay, Leo," she soothed. "We're going home. We're getting out of here."

Her words soothed me, and I let out a sigh before succumbing to sleep. If this was what it was like to die, then it wasn't so bad.

22222

I opened my eyes to a harsh light and looked around. Had that been a dream? Was I still a prisoner of the Foot? I looked around for the guards, but I found none of them. A figure loomed over me, and I focused to see Master Splinter looking at me with concern on his face.

"Leonardo, can you hear me?" he asked.

"Yes," I whispered. My throat was dry, and it hurt to swallow.

"Get him some water," Splinter ordered.

Someone hurried away and returned with the water. Someone else lifted me into a sitting position, but I didn't have the strength to see who it was. Splinter lifted the glass to my lips and I drank greedily.

"Slowly, Leo," Donnie warned.

I did as he asked and then sighed as the glass was taken from me and set aside. "How long was I out?" I asked them.

"A few days," Don answered. "We were worried sick about you."

"Where's Raph?" I asked.

"Right here, bro," Raph said as he squeezed my hand. "Good to have you back."

I was happy to see everyone, but there was something I had to tell them. "The Foot's not dead," I said. "They're in Japan. They want to come back and hunt us."

"Yes, Karai told us about that," Splinter replied. "She said that was the reason they captured both of you. From what she told me, she said that you didn't give in. I am proud of you, my son."

"How did she know?" I asked.

"I heard it from some of the guards," she answered. "They told my guards that you were stubborn and that you weren't going to give into their demands."

Raph clapped me on the shoulder, and I winced a little. "Sorry," he apologized.

"That's okay, Raph," I said.

"You should rest, Leonardo," Splinter said. "You have been through a terrible ordeal. We will discuss this more once you have rested."

I nodded and closed my eyes. Splinter ordered everyone out of the room, but Raph resisted.

"I want to stay with him," he said. "He needs me."

"Very well," Splinter said. "You may stay with him. But do not question him now. He needs rest."

"Hai, Sensei," Raph said.

"Do you need me to stay, Raph?" Slash asked. I was surprised because I hadn't noticed he was there when I woke up.

"Nah, you can go home, Slash," Raph answered. "I'll be fine."

"Okay. Let me know what's going on and if you need me."

"You got it," Raph said. I heard them bump fists and then heard Slash leave the room. Raph stayed and squeezed my hand, and I squeezed back. I was happy to be back and happy that Raph was with me. Maybe things were going to change now that I was home. Our animosity was forgotten, and I just hoped it would stay that way. I lapsed into sleep with only one thought sticking in my brain.

I was home and more importantly, my family was safe.

A/N: Yay! Leo's home! Now they have to adjust to having Leo back and the aftermath of his absence and what happened to him. Is the animosity between Leo and Raph really gone, or are the wounds too painful to heal? You'll have to read the next chapter to find out. In the meantime, feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day. 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Brotherhood Rekindled

A/N: I didn't think I'd get another chapter out so soon, but this has been in my head since I ended chapter five, so I decided to just get it up while I had the chance. Thanks to those who have read and reviewed thus far. It means a lot to me. And if you haven't left any feedback, don't be shy. I don't bite and I appreciate anything you have to say, even if you don't like the story.

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon. I only own the plot and nothing more.

As time went by, I began to really miss my brother. I know it sounds weird after everything I did to him before he left, but it's true. I really wanted him to come back home. I wanted him to be there and keep us in line because we were so far out of line. Slash tried to comfort me and keep me occupied, but it just didn't work. There were so many things that reminded me of my brother. The sword shop he used to look at when we'd go out on our runs, the billboard advertising a new Space Heroes special that would be on TV in a few days, and the place where he'd been ambushed by Shredder's army. All of it made me think of Leo and made me miss him every day. I just wanted thing to go back to normal.

I was on patrol with Slash, and it was a quiet night. Not much activity was out at all.

"You okay, Raph?" Slash asked me. "You've been quiet."

"Just thinkin' about Leo is all," I answered.

He gave me a sympathetic look. "Yeah, I know how that is," he said gently. "I miss him, too. He was always good about giving me advice on being a good leader."

"I think he'd be proud about how good you are," I said.

"Yeah, I think so, too," he agreed.

I was about to say more when my T-Phone went off. I sighed as I looked at the screen. "It's Mikey," I groaned. "He probably wants me to pick up a pizza on the way home." I opened my phone and answered, "What do you want, Mikey?"

"Dude, you're not gonna believe this!" he gasped.

"Lemme guess, you just discovered an image of Jesus in your pizza," I said sarcastically.

"No, dude, Leo's back!"

"He's back?!" I gasped. "When? Is Karai with him?"

"They just came back," he answered. "You better get here now."

I was about to say more when he hung up.

"Is everything okay?" Slash asked me.

"Leo's back," I replied. "He said I have to go there now."

"Then let's go," Slash said.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to."

Slash put a hand on my shoulder. "I do want to come. He's my family, too."

I nodded and we took off as fast as we could. I couldn't believe Leo was back. I was excited to crush him in a hug and beg him not to leave me ever again. As we entered the Lair, I noticed that Karai was sitting on the couch. I rushed over to her and gave her a hug.

"Welcome back, sis," I said. "Where's Leo?"

"He's in the infirmary," she said.

My eyes widened at her words, and I bolted for Donnie's lab/infirmary. Donnie was hunched over a prone form on the examination table while Mikey hovered nearby, ready to assist Donnie if he needed it. Don turned when I burst in with Slash behind me.

"Raph, you need to get out," Don said. "I have to treat him."

"I want to see him," I demanded.

"You can as soon as I'm done," Don answered. "Mikey, hand me that gauze."

My green eyes narrowed in anger. "I want to see my brother, Donnie," I growled in a tone that signaled I meant business.

"Raph, maybe we should do this later," Slash suggested.

"No!" I yelled. "I want to see Leo!" I pushed past Donnie until I was right in front of my brother. A horrified gasp escaped my lips as I took in his form. He was all bruised up and cut up all over his body. He wasn't conscious, but I could tell he was flushed, which meant he had a fever.

"Raph, you need to leave," Don ordered gently.

"Leo!" I gasped. "What have I done?"

"It's not your fault, Raph," Slash said gently. He took my arm and steered me away. "We'll come back after Donnie's done. He needs the room to work in here."

I didn't argue and let my friend lead me back to the living area. I sat down next to Karai who was staring at the TV but not really watching what was on it.

"What happened to him?" I demanded.

"The Foot captured us," she answered. "That's why it took us so long to come home and why Leo never answered your texts or calls. We managed to escape and here we are."

I knew there was more to it than that, but I wasn't in the mood to press her for details. "You were lucky to get out of there," I said.

"No kidding," she said.

"Are you hurt?" I asked her.

"Yeah, but Leo needs help more than I do. I'm a kunoichi. I've faced much worse than this."

I assumed she was talking about all the shit Shredder did to her while she lived with him. The thought made my blood boil. I still couldn't believe the Foot were still active. How could this have happened? Why didn't we just ask Leo to stay home? This might have been prevented if I hadn't driven him away. The thought made me feel even worse. All of this was my fault and there was nothing I could do about it.

Donnie came out of the lab. "Leo's going to be okay, but he's badly injured," he explained. "I don't know when he'll wake up, but we'll just have to give him time to heal. You can go see him now if you want, Raph. I'm all done patching him up."

I nodded and made my way to the lab with Slash right behind me. I gazed upon my brother's still face, remembering when he was in a coma at the farmhouse. Those three months had been the worst of my life, and it looked like history was repeating itself. Damn the Foot! If they came here looking for us, I was gonna beat the shit out of them for hurting my brother.

Slash seemed to sense my thoughts because he put a hand on my shoulder. "Calm down, Raph," he said gently. "I know you're mad, but that's not gonna help Leo get better."

I instantly relaxed at his words. "Yeah, you're right," I said. "I gotta be strong for Leo like I was before. I just hope he pulls through this."

"Don said he'll be fine, and I think he knows best," Slash declared. "Just don't beat yourself up over this, okay? Leo wouldn't want that."

I smirked a little. "Yeah, he'd be lecturin' me about blamin' myself even though he does the same thing," I laughed. "Man, I guess we're more alike than I thought."

"You got that right," Slash agreed. "You gonna stay with him?"

"Yeah, I think he needs me," I answered. "Are you headin' out?"

"Yep. Gotta report to the others about this. I'll come by tomorrow to see how things are though. Keep me posted, and don't lose too much sleep."

"I'll try," I said. I bumped fists with him, and he reached down and gave me a hug before leaving to report to his team. I sat down in a chair Donnie must have placed just for me and took Leo's left hand in mine. I gave it a squeeze and got a squeeze in return which made me feel good.

"Hey, Leo," I said. "I know you're not ready to wake up yet, but I hope you'll wake up soon. I'm really sorry about everythin' that happened between us before you left. I was just bein' a jerk, and I never should have acted that way with you. I was mad at you after you didn't answer the calls and the texts, but now I know why, so I forgive you. I just hope you can forgive me for what I did. I know I haven't been a good brother lately, and I broke the promise I made at the farmhouse that I'd be better to you and not such an asshole. I guess I've got some makin' up to do on that, right? Well, this time I promise to make things right with you and talk with you more. And when you wake up, I'm gonna help you get better and back to who you were before all of this happened. I know it's not much, but it's the best I can do. Just take your time and come back to us because it would suck without you here. It was hard enough this time, and I don't wanna lose you again." I held back the tears and kissed his forehead just like Splinter would do when we were kids. I stayed there for a long time until it was time for dinner then came back after I was done to stand guard at my brother's side.

22222

"He still hasn't woken up," I said to Slash.

"It takes time to heal, and he went through a lot," Slash answered. "He'll come around. Just try to be patient."

"That's not easy to do," I reminded him. "How are things with the team?"

"Pretty good," Slash answered. "They're all worried about Leo though. Don't worry about patrolling with us. Just stay by Leo's side and concentrate on him."

"Thanks, Slash," I said. "I probably won't be patrolling that much now that Leo's back with us."

"That's okay. I'd rather you stay with your family. We could always do join patrols though."

"I think Leo would like that. I'll have to ask him once he gets back on his feet."

"Sounds good to me. Well, I'll talk to you later. Let me know when he wakes up."

"I will."

22222

When Leo finally did wake up, I felt so relieved. I was so worried he was a goner, but he was back now. Sensei told us to let him rest, but I stayed with him because I felt he needed me more than ever. I wanted to ask him about what happened but I knew it wasn't a good time. He needed to heal first and then he would tell us when he was ready.

He woke up and was surprised to see me there. "How long have you been there?" he asked me.

"A few hours," I answered. "I just wanted to make sure you weren't gonna slip out on us again."

He laughed. "No chance of that. Are you okay, Raph?"

"I'm golden. What about you?"

"I feel like I got hit by a truck, but I'll survive," he replied. He tried to sound upbeat, but I could tell there was something more in his tone that indicated he wasn't as okay as he pretended to be. That worried me, but I wasn't going to press him on it. He would tell me in due time.

"Don wants to get you up tomorrow and see if you can walk," I told him. "I'm gonna help you as much as I can."

"Thanks, but you don't have to."

"I want to," I insisted. "I have to make up for what I did."

"Raph, you didn't do anything wrong," he protested. "We're brothers. We always fight."

"Yeah, but I took it too far," I argued. "I caused you to leave, and you got hurt. It's all my fault, and I'm sorry."

"Raph, what happened to me wasn't your fault," he told me. "I chose to go with Karai. We didn't know the Foot were in Japan. It happened, and we can't change it. All we can do is move forward. Don't blame yourself for anything, bro. I still forgive you and I love you."

"Same here, Leo," I said. "But you won't love me after you find out what else I did."

"What do you mean?"

"I joined the Mighty Mutanimals and patrolled with them instead of our brothers," I confessed. "I just wanted to feel like I was still doing something, and Donnie was busy with his tech job and Mikey was busy with his parties. I just wanted what we all used to have. I know I messed up, and I'm really sorry about it."

He put a hand on my shoulder. "I'm not mad at you about that, Raph. I'm glad you joined the Mutanimals. Slash and his team are good friends, and I'm glad he took care of you. I'll have to thank him."

"Wait, you're not mad at me?!" I asked incredulously. Here I was expecting him to lecture me about betraying the clan and how I was a failure as a brother and here he was saying it was no big deal. It was just weird.

"No, I'm not mad, Raph," he answered. "I can see why you would do that. I just hope you're not mad at me for leaving you."

"I was mad, but now I'm not," I said. "I get why you didn't answer us now. I thought maybe you did it on purpose 'cause you wanted to forget us and go your own way, but that's not true. You were captured and you couldn't answer us 'cause they took your phone. I swear, Leo, that if those assholes come here to New York, they're gonna pay for what they did to you."

"I would expect nothing less from you, Raph," he said. "We'll take them on together once I've healed."

"Sounds like a plan. And if you ever want to talk about what happened to you, I'm here."

"I know, but I don't think that's a good idea right now."

"Fair enough. I'll have Mikey bring the TV in here so you can get caught up on Space Heroes."

Mikey was glad to bring the TV in and we binge watched Space Heroes. I think Leo was glad I was watching it with him, and it made me feel good to see him reacting to the show just like he did before all of this went down. I knew it was gonna take some time, but I knew Leo was gonna come back to us and be better than ever. And we would help him do that no matter what.

22222

"Okay, Leo, easy does it," I urged.

Leo gingerly stepped down off of the bed and began to limp around the room. He was still in pain, but he pretended he was fine and tried to walk. He was doing pretty good, but then he fell again and growled in frustration.

"That's okay, Leo. You did good."

"I think I wanna go to the living room," Leo said.

"Sounds good," I said. I stayed close to him while he used his cane to walk out of the lab and to our living room. I could tell he was happy 'cause he didn't want to stay in that room anymore.

We heard applause and saw Don, Mikey, Splinter, and the Mighty Mutanimals were in the living area waiting for us. Karai was there, too, and she smiled as soon as she saw Leo.

"It's about time you got out of that room," she teased.

"Nice to see you too, sis," he teased back. "Are you okay?"

"Peachy keen," she answered. "How about you?"

"I'll survive I guess," he replied.

"Well, now that Leo's back on his feet, I think it's time we celebrate," said Mikey.

"I think we should wait for April and Casey before we do that," Leo said. "It wouldn't be right without them here."

"April said we're gonna take a trip to the farmhouse so you can relax, Leo," said Donnie. "Maybe we can plan another party there."

"I'm down for that," Mikey said. "But for now, let's celebrate with some Space Heroes."

We watched a few more episodes, and it was during one episode where Captain Ryan is tortured by some of his enemies that Leo blanked out on us. One minute he was engrossed in the show, and the next his eyes were vacant like he was staring at nothing.

"Leo, are you okay?" I asked.

He didn't answer but began to hyperventilate.

"Donnie, what's wrong with him?" Mikey asked our brainy brother.

"I think he's having a flashback," Don answered. "Turn off the TV."

Mikey did as he asked and I started rubbing Leo's shell, soothing him that everything was gonna be okay. It took some time, but he managed to snap out of it.

"What happened?" he asked as he looked around at all of us.

"You blanked out," I answered. "You okay?"

"No," he whispered. "I'm scared. I don't want them to get me again."

I pulled him into an embrace and rubbed his shell. "They won't, Leo," I whispered. "I promise you that."

He began to cry and I just kept holding him and soothing him until he calmed down. He looked a little embarrassed by his meltdown after it was over.

"Sorry," he apologized. "I guess I'm not as better as I thought I was."

"That's okay, Leo," Slash said. "We understand." He patted Leo's shell and told him to hang in there and that he and his team were there for him.

"Slash, thanks for taking care of Raph while I was gone," Leo said.

"No problem," Slash said. "I thought he'd be this major pain in the ass, but he actually listened to me for once. You would have been proud of him."

"I'm sure I would have," Leo said.

"Let's get you to bed, Leo," I said. "You look tired."

"Will you stay with me?" he asked in a small voice.

"Sure, if you want me to," I answered. I knew Leo wasn't going to want to be alone for a long time after what happened to him. I helped him to his room and tucked the covers around him. Then I dragged out the spare futon he had and lay beside him.

"Raph, can you promise me something?" Leo asked me.

"Yeah, anything," I answered.

"Promise me we'll always be brothers."

"I promise that we'll always be brothers until we die."

"So do I," he whispered back. "Love you, Raph."

"I love you, too, Leo."

22222

It was nice to get out of New York and to be back at the farmhouse. We hadn't been there in a while, and it was just as we remembered it. The Mutanimals came, too, and we gave them a tour of the place.

"This is where Leo took on The Creep," Mikey said as we strolled through the woods. "It was so awesome."

"Let me guess, he probably quoted Space Heroes at him," I teased.

"Nope," Leo answered. "I simply told him to give me back my family. Oh, and I called him a freak."

I gasped. "You used the F word?"

"I sure did," Leo answered.

"Man, I never knew you had it in you."

"And what happened to you while this battle took place, Raph?" Slash asked.

"He was plant the whole time," Mikey answered. "It was weird seeing a flower with his mask on it. I was gonna take him home and water him, but Donnie cured him. Come to think of it, he probably would have made a better plant. Then I wouldn't have to hear his annoying voice."

"Oh, I'll show you annoying," I growled as I launched myself at him. He screamed like a girl and ran away from my attack. I chased him for a short while before tackling him and giving him a noogie.

"Okay, okay, I give!" he yelled.

"You better not say that again," I threatened.

"I promise not to say it again," he replied.

"Some things never change," Leo said with a smile.

"Nope, but it's nice," I said.

Leo was getting tired, so we went back to the farmhouse so he could take a nap. I stayed with him again and read a book until he woke up. We ate some lunch and just had fun hanging out together. Our evening training session went well, and Leo observed and gave us pointers.

"Still the same old nag," I teased. "I can't believe Karai put up with you on that trip."

"It was a challenge," Karai replied.

"Hey, I wasn't that bad," Leo said.

"Sure you weren't," I teased him.

"I wasn't!" he insisted. He was doing some easy katas on the sidelines.

"Leo, I don't think you should be doing those," Donnie cautioned.

"I'll be fine, Donnie," he reassured him. He went to do a kick, but his knee buckled and he went down.

"You were saying?" Donnie asked dryly.

"I'm fine," Leo insisted. "It just gave out." He slowly got to his feet and leaned on a tree for support. "See? I'm okay."

"Let's get you back to the house," I said. I helped him back even though I knew he didn't want to go. He really was trying to get back on his feet, but it was taking a long time for him to get there.

"I wish I could just heal right now," he complained.

"Don't' sweat it, Leo. You're getting better every day."

"I know. It's just that I thought coming here would help me, but it's bringing back all those memories of the last time I was hurt."

"Hey, we were there for you then, and we're here for you now, bro. Stay strong, okay?"

Leo sighed. "I'll try."

"That's all I ask." I led him to his room and watched as he fell asleep. It was going to be a long road for him, but I knew he'd bounce back as long as we were there for him. He hadn't yet talked about what happened to him, but the time was going to come when he'd have to. I just hoped that he'd be ready for it when it came. Either way, I was gonna be there for him and help him out just like I had promised him. Things were going to change for us, and we were going to be stronger than ever before. The Foot were going to pay for what they did, and I was gonna make sure it was a slow and painful death.

A/N: I've decided to end the chapter here because I can't think of anything else to add. I hope you all enjoyed it. I loved writing it. Next will be Donnie's turn and he'll probably be trying to probe what happened out of Leo even though it won't be easy. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Doctor Donnie Is In

A/N: I can't believe I'm writing another chapter! I'm getting this story out faster than I thought I would. Only two more chapters after this one and this story will officially be complete. Now we'll see how Donnie's handling Leo's return to them. Thanks to all of those who are following and favoriting this story. It means a lot to me. Also thanks to those who were kind enough to leave a review. And if you haven't left a review, don't be shy. I appreciate all feedback.

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon. I only own the plot and nothing more.

I was so happy to have Leo back with us again. Granted, when he first came home, I was scared we were going to lose him, but he came back to us like he always did. He was recovering nicely, but I could tell there was more going on with him than he was letting on. Karai had filled us in on why they were so late coming home and why Leo never answered us when we'd text or call him. After hearing what he went through, I wasn't hurt anymore about his lack of replies because it made sense. However, I was feeling guilty that we didn't know and that we weren't there to help him out when he needed us most. We had a lot of making up to do for that.

The farmhouse was just as we remembered it. I couldn't help but remember the last time we'd come out here and how close Leo had been to death even then. It had been hard for all of us to deal with, and we weren't sure he would ever wake up. When he did, it was like a warm blanket had settled over me, and I knew things were going to be okay.

But now it seemed like things weren't going to be okay. Leo was in pain and it wasn't just physical pain but mental pain as well. He never told us what happened, and I knew that if he bottled it up inside, it was just going to get worse. I had to get him to talk to me and soon.

The opportunity came when Raph let me take over Leo's physical therapy session so I could talk to him. He hadn't opened up to Raph or anybody else, so this was my chance to see if he'd open up with me.

Leo came to the woods where Raph usually met him and was surprised to see me there. "Where's Raph?" he asked.

"Raph wanted me to take over today," I answered.

"Is there any special reason for that?"

"No, he just thought maybe we could spend some time together."

"Oh. Okay." He followed me into the woods as we settled into a steady pace. Although Leo did exercises, today I just wanted to walk a little bit and see if he'd open up about what happened to him. I'd have to do it slowly though.

"Are you glad to be back?" I asked him.

"Yeah, it's good to be back," he replied. "Raph told me you've been doing a tech support job. How's that going?"

"It has its ups and downs," I responded. "But I'm glad to be making money for us."

"I bet you are," he said. "Why did you do it though?"

"Because I didn't want us to be a burden on April's dad since he's paying for her to go to college," I told him. "This job is perfect for me. I can work from home and still help people out. You know I've always wanted that."

"I also recall you wanting a college degree and wanting to cure every disease known to man," he said with a smile. "I'm glad you're doing what you want, Donnie. If it makes you happy, then I'm happy for you."

"Really? You're not mad at me?"

He shook his head. "Not at all. At least you have something you enjoy doing."

"This doesn't mean I'm going to quit being a ninja if that's what you're afraid of."

"I'm not afraid of that, Donnie. I know you're still loyal to this team. All of you are."

"Are you and Raph okay?"

"Better than ever," he replied. "I know it was hard on you when we fought, but things are great now." He smiled wryly. "Nothing like being on the brink of death to get two brothers to mend fences."

"You don't mean that," I said softly.

He sighed. "No, I don't. I know we probably would have mended fences even if things hadn't happened the way they did."

He was avoiding the subject again. That wasn't good.

"So, did you find Tang Shen's home?"

"Yeah, we did. We even saw the dojo where Sensei and Shredder were taught ninjutsu. It was emotional for Karai though."

"I bet it was," I said softly. "What about you?"

"It was emotional for me, too," he answered. "So many memories."

"So how did you get captured?"

His face hardened and he turned away from me. "I don't want to talk about it," he said firmly.

"Leo, you have to talk about it," I insisted. "I know it's eating you up inside, and if you let it fester, it's going to keep hurting you. Letting it out will help."

"I'm sorry, Donnie, but I can't," he said. And before I could say anything else, he turned and walked back to the farmhouse.

Attempt number one had definitely been a failure.

22222

I sighed as I tossed and turned in my bed. I just couldn't understand why Leo didn't want to confide in me about what happened. We used to talk about everything together, but now he'd put up a wall, and I wasn't sure if I could break it down. A cry interrupted my thoughts, and I recognized it as Leo having a nightmare. I jumped out of bed and saw that Raph was on his way to Leo's room. I held up a hand and indicated that I wanted to go to Leo. He nodded and let me go, heading to his own room instead.

I entered Leo's room and saw that he was sitting in bed, looking around frantically, his breathing frantic.

"Leo, are you okay?" I asked.

"I'm fine, Donnie," he answered. "It was just a dumb dream."

"It didn't sound that way to me," I told him. "I heard you all the way from my room."

"It's nothing. I'm fine, okay?"

I fixed him with a stern glare. "You're going to have to talk about this, Leo," I said firmly. "This can't keep going on."

"I have it under control!" he said through gritted teeth. "Just go back to sleep."

I knew then that he wasn't going to open up to me. With a sigh, I turned around and went back to my room. So much for attempt number two. This was going to be as difficult as teaching Mikey how the Pythagorean Theorem worked.

22222

I could tell Leo was furious with me when we met for breakfast. He kept shooting glares in my direction in between bites.

Mikey noticed and nudged me. "Dude, what did you do?" he asked. "He looks like he wants to run you through with one of his swords."

"I just tried to get him to open up about what happened to him, but he won't budge," I answered.

Mikey sighed. "Dude, that's harsh. I mean, you're probably the best Turtle to talk about this with."

"Thanks, Mikey, but Leo won't do it. I've tried all the avenues I could, and he just won't come clean."

"Well, maybe you should try something different," he suggested.

"Like what?"

"Let him come to you."

"Do you think that would work?"

"It's worth a shot," he said. "Maybe he won't open up to you because you're trying to force him to talk. If you just leave him alone, maybe he'll talk to you eventually."

I hadn't thought of it like that. "Maybe you're right, Mikey. I'll do that and see what happens. Thanks."

"Always glad to help, D."

22222

I was in the barn working on fixing the toaster which had broken when I heard footsteps I recognized as Leo's. I continued to do my work and pretended he wasn't even there.

"Do you need help, Donnie?' he asked.

"Sure," I answered. "Hand me that screwdriver if you would."

He did as I asked, and I continued to work on the toaster. I pretended to be engrossed in my work even though I wanted to talk to him.

"We were ambushed," he said.

At first, I wasn't sure he had spoken, but then my brain registered that he was opening up to me. I was excited about that, but I forced my face to remain neutral for fear that if I reacted to his words he would close off again.

"Karai wanted to visit the dojo again, and they came out of nowhere. We didn't even know the Foot were in Japan. They said they wanted us to pay for Karai joining us and because they were loyal to Shredder."

Yes, Karai had told us about this before, but it was good to hear Leo say it. I knew Mikey had been right, and that this had been the best tactic in getting Leo to open up.

"They separated us and they demanded that I tell them where you guys were. I refused, and that's when they tortured me. They shocked me, but I wouldn't give in. Sometimes they'd beat me and even cut me with their swords. I still refused to tell them and the torture continued. I know they tortured Karai, too, because I could hear her screams sometimes. I still hear them in my sleep."

I felt sickened by what he was telling me. How could this have happened? Why didn't we go with him to make sure he was okay?

"Donnie, are you okay?" he asked me when I didn't answer.

I gazed up at him, my eyes filling with tears. "I'm so sorry, Leo," I whispered. "If I had known any of that, I would have been there in a heartbeat. We all would have."

"I know that, Donnie," he said gently. "I'm not trying to blame any of you for what happened."

"Why are you opening up to me now?" I asked.

"I thought about it and realized you were right. If I keep this inside of me, it's going to eat me up inside and hurt me more. So, here I am."

"I'm glad you chose to come to me, Leo. You know I'll always be here for you."

"I know, and I'm sorry I drove you away before. It's just hard for me to open up about stuff like that."

I put a hand on his shoulder. "I get it, Leo. It would probably be hard for me, too. Do you feel better now?"

"I think so," he answered. "Do you still need help?"

"Sure," I said.

We continued to stay out there and worked on the toaster until it was fixed. Mikey had been right about letting Leo come to me, and I was surprised that I hadn't realized my mistake in the first place. I always felt like I knew my brothers and how each of them operated, but I was beginning to see that I had a lot to learn about my family. We all operated in different ways, and it was best to learn about it and see how to best approach a different situation. I was losing my touch of being the smart one and knew I had to make up for it somehow.

"Leo, can you promise me one thing?" I asked.

"Sure. What is it?"

"Promise me you won't tell Raph how I messed up," I said.

"How did you mess up, Donnie?"

"I tried to force you to tell me what was going on. I forgot that you're the type of Turtle who doesn't open up when others ask him to. I forgot that you tend to close yourself off when confronted with heavy stuff and that you have to be handled differently. Mikey was the one who told me it was better to let you come to me, so I decided that since none of my other methods worked, I would follow his advice."

He smiled. "I can't believe Mikey figured it out before you," he teased. "You're losing your touch, bro."

I punched him on the shoulder. "Hey, we can't all be perfect all of the time."

He wilted at that. "I'm not perfect," he said softly.

"None of us are, Leo, but that's nothing to be ashamed of."

"I know that now. I know that we all have flaws and insecurities. I'm glad you talked to me, Donnie. I'm glad you got me to open up and share what was bothering me. I promise never to do that again and to always talk to you when you ask."

"Thanks, Leo."

He sighed. "I guess we all have stuff to work on, don't we?"

I nodded. "Yeah, we do. But we'll get through it like we always do. We're a family."

He pulled me into an embrace and we stayed like that for a little while. Then we finished our work and went back to the farmhouse. I knew it was still going to take time for Leo to heal, but I hoped that opening up about what happened to him had helped him to start healing. Sometimes talking about your problems was the best thing to do, and I was glad that Leo recognized that and had opened up to me. We still had a lot of work to do but as I said before, we would get through it because we were a family.

A/N: And that's the end of another chapter. I hope you liked it. I swear, I'm getting better at writing Donnie the more I try it, and that makes me feel good. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day. Only two more chapters left before this story is complete.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Just Hanging With My Brother

A/N: Man, I'm getting this story out fairly quickly. Now here's Mikey's chapter and some brotherly bonding with Leo. Thanks to those who have read and reviewed thus far. It means a lot to me that you're enjoying this story.

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon. I only own the plot and nothing more.

"Happy birthday from Cowabunga Carl!" I said as I greeted the group of kids. We were back in New York, and it was back to doing birthday parties for me. This time I had a group of kids who were stoked to see me, which made me feel good.

"You're cool," one boy said. "Can I be a ninja like you?"

"Sure you can, little dude," I answered. "But you gotta practice really hard to become a great ninja, okay?"

"Okay," he answered.

After showing off a few tricks and eating some cake, I said goodbye to the kids and headed back home. I turned on the radio in the Party Wagon and began singing along to the music. Things had changed now that Leo was back, and I was much happier about everything because of it. I parked the van and got out, shedding my costume and putting it away in the designated storage spot. Then I went into the Lair and saw Leo sitting on the couch watching Space Heroes.

"Hey, Mikey, how was work?" he asked me.

"Pretty good," I answered. "I got some leftover cake. Normally, I give it to Sensei, but Donnie's been on my case about that. Do you want it instead?"

"Why would Donnie care about you giving Splinter some cake?"

"Oh, I guess we didn't tell you," I said guiltily. "Sensei had a heart attack a few months ago."

Leo's blue eyes widened in shock. "Are you serious?! Why didn't anybody tell me?"

"You've been through a lot, and Donnie didn't want us to say anything yet."

Leo looked hurt that he hadn't known this information. I felt bad for him, but I could see why Donnie didn't tell him. Leo was still in pain over being captured and tortured, and Donnie didn't want him feeling guilty about not being there for Splinter in his time of need.

"Dude, don't worry about it," I soothed. "Splinter's been doing great. Donnie's got him on this diet, but he cheats every once in a while. He says life's too short and he needs time to be able to enjoy things while he can. But you know how Donnie gets."

"Yeah, I do," Leo said.

"Hey, you wanna go out and skateboard for a while? I found some new pipes."

Leo's eyes lit up. "Yeah, I'd like that. Let me go get my board."

I watched him go to his room and grabbed my own board which was filled with some awesome art. Leo's board was covered in Space Heroes stickers and little doodles of Captain Ryan he made himself. When Leo came out, I smiled and led him into the sewers. It was nice being with my bro again.

"So, how have you been, Mikey?" he asked me. "Are you holding up okay?"

"I'm golden, dude," I answered. "The party business is really paying off. I'm totally glad I thought of it."

"So am I," Leo agreed. "You really do seem to be enjoying yourself, Mikey. You know, I always pictured you as doing something with little kids someday."

"You did?" I had never thought about having a job before. It seemed impossible what with being a mutant and all, but now all of that was changing. "Well, I pictured you as owning your own dojo and being bossy to kids about doing katas right."

"Ah, I see. And what about Raph?"

"Hmmm," I said as I put a hand to my chin. "I've pictured him as either being a cop or a bounty hunter like that guy on that show. The one with the wife with the huge boobs?"

"You mean Dog the Bounty Hunter?"

"Yeah, that guy. And Donnie would either be a science teacher or would do what he's doing now."

"That sounds about right," Leo said. "Have you guys talked to Tony?"

"Nope. Haven't seen him since he left."

"Really? I thought for sure you guys would have checked in with him."

"None of us have had time. And it's not like Tony ever checked in with us either." That hurt me almost as much as it did when Leo didn't check in with us, though I understood why he didn't and wasn't mad at him anymore. But Tony was a different story. He could have talked to us or asked us how we were."

"Maybe we should talk to him," Leo suggested.

"Nah, I'm not gonna bother," I said. "If he won't talk to us, I think it's best if we just leave him alone."

"Since when do you give up on someone like that?" Leo asked me. "I thought you cared about Tony."

"I do, bro, but he's had tons of chances to come back and talk to us, and he hasn't done it. So I think it's best if we just leave him be. He obviously doesn't wanna be friends with us anymore."

"I don't think that's true," Leo said. "Maybe he hasn't talked to you guys because he's afraid you won't take him back as a friend. Did you ever think of that?"

Come to think of it, I hadn't thought of that. The thought made me feel bad, but I wasn't going to give in. I wanted to let Tony come to me and if he was that afraid that I wasn't gonna forgive him, then that was his problem. I shook my head to get rid of the thought and led Leo to the new section of pipes I'd discovered. I readied my board and launched off of one.

"Booyakasha!" I yelled as I did a flip and then landed on another pipe.

Leo smiled. "I've missed hearing you say that," he said.

"Why don't you ever say it?" I asked him.

"Because it's your thing, not mine," he answered.

"Fair enough," I said. "Now you try."

Leo smiled and launched himself off of the pipe before coming to land next to me.

"Nice one," I congratulated him.

"Thanks," he answered. "I still think we should talk to Tony."

"Dude, I can't. I'm too busy with all of these parties."

"Then maybe you should arrange a party for him," he suggested.

"No way! These are parties for kids, dude."

"And last I checked, Tony's a kid, right?"

"Yeah, but these are for little kids. I can't just organize a party. They have to come to me."

"Then maybe I can set something up," he said.

"Dude, no," I said. "It's just not the right time."

"I get it. You're still hurt he left you and you don't want to forgive him."

"It's not that. I'd forgive him if he came to me, but he hasn't. I think he's moved on, bro."

"Okay, I won't push anymore. You up for some more boarding?"

"You got it. I've really missed you, Leo."

"I've missed you, too, Mikey."

"I'm glad you're okay, too. If anyone messes with you again, they're gonna have to answer to me, okay?"

"Yep. I would expect nothing less."

We continued to skateboard for a while until we got tired. Then we went back to the Lair. I knew what Leo was saying was right, but I just felt that if Tony came to us, then it would be better. I sat in my room and flipped through my drawing pad. It landed on a picture of Tony I had drawn when he came to the Lair. He was in the process of eating a piece of pizza, the cheese dangling from his mouth. It made me smile to see it, but I knew Tony would come back on his own, and if he didn't, then that was that. I wasn't gonna push him or beg him to come back. That wouldn't be right. With a sigh, I flipped to a blank page and began drawing a picture of Leo skating on one of the pipes. It was time to just let things be and move on. That was the best thing to do right now. At least Leo was back, and that was the main thing. Our family was whole again, and we had to just keep going and do our best to make things work.

A/N: Not the best ending, but I wanted to get this finished so I can get the last chapter done. I know most would think it's OOC of Mikey to not reach out to Tony, but if you remember, he advised Donnie to let Leo come to him instead of forcing him to talk about what happened in the previous chapter. Mikey's using the same technique regarding Tony as well. He knows that it's best to just let Tony come to him instead of forcing him to come back. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day. Only one more chapter to go before this story is complete.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Making a Move

A/N: And here's the final chapter in this tale. I want to thank those who have reviewed, followed, and favorited this story. It means a lot to me that you've enjoyed this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it. I hope you enjoy this last chapter as well.

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon. I only own the plot and nothing more.

After I came back from my skateboarding session with Mikey, I couldn't help but think about what he said about Tony. It surprised me that none of the guys had spoken to him since he left and were just ignoring him. I felt that wasn't fair to him, and I was going to do something about it myself. I went to the dojo to practice some katas since I felt I was rusty. Master Splinter was there and smiled after I finished a particularly difficult kata.

"Very good, Leonardo," he praised. "You are improving nicely."

"Thanks, Sensei," I answered.

"Would you like to join me for some tea?"

I nodded. "Yeah, that would be great." I followed him to his chambers and sat down across from him. He prepared the tea and handed me my cup. I inhaled the smell and smiled. I'd missed this.

"It is good to have you back, my son," Splinter said. "We were very lonely without you."

"I missed you, too, Master Splinter," I said. "I thought about you a lot while I was being held captive."

"You do not have to talk about that now," said Splinter hurriedly. "Let us focus on other things. I do feel that something is troubling you though it is not about your capture."

"No, it's not. I'm kind of upset that the guys haven't talked to Tony since he left."

"Yes, I am surprised about that, too. I must admit, I do miss seeing him in the Lair."

"Why hasn't anyone reached out to him?"

"I believe they have different reasons, but perhaps they are afraid he will not come back on his own. They probably believe that he has moved on and does not want to involve himself in our family anymore."

I shook my head. "I just don't believe that. Tony's not the type to turn his back on his friends. I want to do something about this, Sensei. I need to go see him."

"Yes, I believe it is time you reached out to your friend again. Just do not be upset if he does not return the sentiment."

"I won't be, Sensei."

"Good. Did I tell you I have found a new soap opera?"

"No, you didn't. What's it about?"

I listened as he regaled me with the plot of the most pointless soap opera ever. Splinter loved his stories no matter how dumb they were, and it made me smile to see he hadn't changed in that regard. After he told me more about it, we finished our tea.

"I guess I better head out," I said.

"Yes. Be careful, my son."

"I always am." I bowed to him and left the Lair, hoping that my plan would work.

22222

The night was clear and cool as I made my way across the rooftops. I wasn't sure if Tony lived in an apartment since the last we saw of him he had said he was still living in his uncle's apartment until he found his own place. I looked at the clock on my T-Phone and saw that he was probably still at Antonio's. With a smile, I made my way to the shop, remembering countless trips there both by myself and with my brothers. I really hoped Tony would take us back and forgive us for what happened. He was too valuable of a friend to lose, and I didn't want him to hate us.

The sound of a commotion made me alert. I tensed and followed the sound to Antonio's where a group of men were gathered around a figure I recognized as Tony. They were definitely robbing the place, and I knew that this couldn't stand anymore. I wasn't about to let Tony get killed.

I unsheathed my swords and when the time was right, I made my move. I just hoped it was the right one.

A/N: You might think this is a weird place to end it, but it suits the story given what happens next. If you want to know what happens next, please check out Tales of a Pizza Owner where the saga continues from there. In the meantime, feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.


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